


We Hope You Enjoy Your Time Playing Phantasm

by Stray_Anpanman



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Angst, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Sword Art Online, M/M, Magic, Mentions of drugs and alcohol, Mentions of neglect, Rated for Violence and Swearing, Secrets, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, long chaptered fic, mentions of abuse, mentions of torture, there will always be a warning if the chapter contains graphic content, weekly updates on wednesdays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2019-06-16 04:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 48
Words: 373,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15428940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stray_Anpanman/pseuds/Stray_Anpanman
Summary: Welcome new player.You have been assigned the class of Knight. This class is a reflection of your personality and actions in your life.Your statistics and abilities depend on the class you have been allocated.You have been gifted 500 coins to spend as you wish as well as some items you may find useful during your time here.Be warned that if something happens to you within this world, it will happen to you in the real world too.In other words, if you die within the game, you die in real life.Your only way to leave is to complete the seven levels of the Rautaja Fortress.You will not be able to do this alone.We hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm.Begin…





	1. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone. Thank you for clicking on this fic and giving it a chance. First of all, as it says in the tags, this is going to be a chaptered fic and it's going to be pretty long as I have the story planned out in my head already. I promise that I won't give up on it and I will do my very best to update it at least once a week and hopefully never have more than two weeks between an update (though you know how life gets sometimes). I have roughly five chapters written already so I'm trying my best to stay ahead so I can update regularly. I'm really nervous about finally putting this up because I've been working on the story for weeks so feedback would be really appreciated. The first chapter will hopefully be the shortest with the others being a bit longer as the fic goes on. Anyways, thank you again for clicking on the story. I hope you enjoy it!

_Initializing…_

_Initializing…_

_Initializing…_

 

_Welcome new player._

 

_You have been assigned the class of Knight. This class is a reflection of your personality and actions in your life._

_Your statistics and abilities depend on the class you have been allocated._

_You have been gifted 500 coins to spend as you wish as well as some items you may find useful during your time here._

_Be warned that if something happens to you within this world, it will happen to you in the real world too._

_In other words, if you die within the game, you die in real life._

_Your only way to leave is to complete the seven levels of the_ _Rautaja Fortress._

_You will not be able to do this alone._

_We hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm._

_Begin…_

 

Chan woke up with a groan. The searing pain he felt in his temple made him wonder if someone had hit him over the head recently. He automatically reached up to try and massage the soreness away before he felt a wetness now coating his hands. He didn’t need to see it to understand what it was. The stickiness and sickening smell of the blood was more than enough explanation. He slowly opened his eyes and cursed when all he could see was a blinding light. It took him some time to adjust before his surroundings came into focus. He was lying down in the middle on a forest where the trees were overgrown and reached up to the sky. Chan slowly sat himself up and blinked again. He was in a forest. Why was he lying down in a forest? What had he been doing just before this? _Welcome new player..._ wait. That message. Chan grabbed his head, trying to remember what he had seen before he had woken. Was it a dream? _Knight...you die in real life...Phantasm…_

 

A blinding pain ripped its way through Chan’s head causing him to sway. He couldn’t quite remember everything that he had seen before he opened his eyes but at the moment, did it really matter? He needed to figure out where he was first and then he could decipher how he got there. Very carefully, Chan started to stand, steadying himself against a nearby tree. He looked around and saw trees and some more trees and yes, even more trees but no indication as to which way the exit may be. Chan’s vision was suddenly distorted as the blood from his forehead seeped into his eye. He wiped it away with an annoyed grunt. It wasn’t enough that he was in the middle of nowhere with no recollection as to how he got there but he had a blinding headache and was bleeding from a gash in his forehead. Chan thought that this was probably in the top five worst days of his life. Well, if he didn’t start walking, then he definitely wouldn’t be getting out of this place so Chan picked a direction at random and started trudging through the dense foliage of the forest.

 

He walked for what felt like hours but judging from the position of the sun in the sky that he could make out through the canopy of the colossal trees, it hadn’t moved much since he came to, which meant that not much time had actually passed. He stopped and positioned himself against a tree to rest. He was getting nowhere fast and was about to give up and collapse on the ground again when a thought suddenly struck him. He highly doubted that he still had it on him if he had been dumped in the middle of the woods but decided to check his pockets for his phone just in case. He patted himself down and then rummaged around inside his pockets. He didn’t find his phone, of course but what did emerge from his pockets was a compact leather pouch, weighed down by something inside. When Chan investigated, his eyes widened in shock. There were numerous golden coins unlike any he had ever seen before in his life. He took a couple out to analyse them and came to the conclusion that they were, in fact, real gold. Why would someone leave him in the woods, take his phone and belongings but leave him with innumerable coins of gold. Chan closed the pouch and returned it to his pocket.

 

He then felt something shift in his back pocket and fished it out. Two ornate bottles filled with green and red transparent liquid respectively appeared. He eyed the bottles suspiciously before removing the corks of the bottles and smelling the contents. The green liquid smelled of antiseptic with a hint of mint which made Chan’s nose wrinkle in disgust while the red seemed to be a mixture of the scent of firewood and something sweet that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He was tempted to taste the red liquid due to its fragrance but thought better of it when he realised he didn’t know who actually gave him the bottles or what the contents actually were. It could be poison for all he knew so he closed both bottles and settled them back into his rear pocket. To say that he was becoming more confused as time went on would be an understatement. He was downright befuddled. Chan ran his fingers through his messy, dirt riddled hair. How was he going to get out of here? Chan didn’t take kindly to the thought of spending the night here.

 

A sudden noise behind him made Chan jump and whip his head around. He shifted so he was in a fighting stance though Chan knew full well he was not a fighter and if something were to attack him, it would more than likely not end well for him. Unfortunately, Chan’s fears became reality when he came face to face with something that looked like a mutated wolf. It was twice the size of any wolf Chan had ever seen with elongated canines that were dripping with blood. The wolf’s eyes were completely black; including the sclera. A low, intimidating growl seeped out of the animal’s mouth as it stared Chan down. Chan’s mouth went dry and his whole body started to shake. What the hell was that thing? _Should I stay still or make a run for it?_ Chan thought; though he wasn’t sure if he could actually move his legs to run since they were shaking so much.

 

The animal crouched down, ready to pounce. Chan knew he had to run. If he didn’t move, he wouldn’t be alive much longer. _If you die within the game, you die in real life_. Chan grabbed his head with both hands as the words rang through his mind, scrunching his eyes closed. The animal took this as an indication to make its move. Chan opened his eyes just in time to see the wolf leap towards him but it wasn’t enough time to move out of the way. All he could do was shield himself with his arms. Chan was instantly knocked to the ground by the weight of the animal which now towered over him. Chan was sure his screams could be heard from miles away as sharp teeth indented themselves into his arm. He could feel the hot tears streaming down his cheeks which were now mixed with the blood that was falling from his arm onto his face as he tried to protect himself from the beast.

 

Was this seriously how he was going to die? Being attacked and eaten by some monster that looked like it belonged in some nightmarish fairy tale? It wasn’t idyllic but nobody could say that it was a boring way to go. _Screw this,_ Chan thought. He needed to know where he was, why he was here and why the hell there were mutant animals attacking him. This wasn’t going to be his grave, not if he could help it. With whatever strength was left in his body, he pulled his knees to his chest, positioned his feet under the animal’s stomach and kicked it back with as much force as he could muster. The action caught the wolf by surprise as its mouth loosened around Chan’s arm and it went tumbling backwards. Chan cradled his arm to his chest; blood still seeping out of the fresh wound. He needed to treat it or he would die from blood loss at this stage. Not now though; now he needed to run. He dragged himself up off of the forest floor, trying not to get any of the dirt on his hands into his open wound. His legs buckled beneath him but he found the strength he needed to start running.

 

Chan didn’t know where he was heading. How was he supposed to know where to go when he didn’t even know where he was now? He kept on running in the hopes of seeing some indication of an exit from this hellish place. The forest just seemed like an endless maze and he wondered if he was getting closer to an exit or going around in circles. Hadn’t he passed that overgrown, hideous tree before? Perhaps, though he couldn’t be sure. Chan was shaken from his thoughts when he heard the sound of twigs snapping under the force of heavy paws. Really, that monster didn’t know when to give up. It was still chasing him and the blood falling from Chan’s arm probably wasn’t doing anything to end the wolf’s lust for blood.

 

At this stage, the adrenaline that was keeping Chan going was starting to wear off. His legs felt wobbly and he was running out of breath.

 

 _'Keep going,'_ Chan pleaded with himself, ' _t_ _his isn’t how you want to die, is it?'_

 

As if on cue, Chan’s leg became snared in an uprooted tree and he came crashing to the ground. He let out a cry as his face came into contact with the leaves and twigs which littered the forest floor. He tried to rise from the ground but the pain emanating from his ankle indicated that he had broken, or at least twisted it, in the fall. It really wasn’t his day. The growling from the beast that was chasing him gradually became louder as all Chan could do was drag himself along the ground. His breath became ragged as he thought that this was the end. He thought about what he was leaving behind, even if it wasn’t that much. His mind immediately drifted to the kids. He wanted to see them one last time before he died. He didn’t want them to think that he had abandoned them like so many others had done. He loved them too much to let them think that about him.

 

 _'Please god, just let me live long enough to see them one last time,'_ Chan thought.

  
With that final thought, the creature had caught up with the injured boy and spared no time in attacking in case its prey thought about running away again. The animal bolted towards Chan as he cradled his head in his blood stained arms and let out a pained yell. He waited for the impact of the wolf’s body on his but it never came. He didn’t realise it until he opened his eyes that he had started to cry again and his tears were now blurring his vision. He quickly brushed them away to find the monster that had been chasing him. Instead of meeting the eyes of the wolf, he was greeted with a snow white shield which emanated a bright and calming energy right in front of his face. On the other side of said shield was the wolf knocked off of its feet. It was slowly trying to sit into an upright position though Chan could tell it was having some trouble; like running into the shield had taken its toll on its body. Where had the shield come from in the first place? He hadn’t done that, right? Chan looked down at his own hands to make sure that he didn’t manage to somehow conjure some weird magic to protect himself. What the hell was he thinking? There was no such thing as magic. Or so he thought. He had been right though, he wasn’t the one who had created the shield.

 

Chan looked up to stare at the wolf again but instead saw a figure blocking his view of the creature. He couldn’t quite make out anything about the person except the long, golden staff that was in their hands. Then something happened that wouldn’t make sense to Chan for quite some time. The individual raised the staff in front of them; situating their hands along its middle. The air around Chan began to change and he could feel a sudden serenity fill up his body. He didn’t know what was happening but it caused his heartbeat to become even and calm the overwhelming anxiety that had been plaguing his body. Suddenly, a flash of light came from the figure in front of him along with a loud bang. Chan raised his arms to protect himself out of habit but realised that the shield that had been placed in front of him earlier was still present. A sudden screech from the wolf made Chan crane his neck so that he could see the animal which was now writhing in pain. A white light enveloped the wolf, causing it to convulse. The light disappeared just as quickly as it had come. The wolf lay there panting before getting up and running away with its tail in between its legs.

 

It was gone. Finally, it was gone. Chan let out a breath that he hadn’t realised he had been holding in. The shield that had protected him began to dissipate before it vanished completely. Chan’s attention snapped to the person in front of him as they began to turn around. It was a boy who looked like he could be a couple of years younger than himself. He was dressed in a dazzling white hoodie which ended about half way down his thighs. Where the hoodie ended, ripped, black jeans continued down along his legs and met with shiny black combat boots which didn’t seem to have a speck of dirt on them despite traversing through the woods. His short raven hair, Chan thought, suited his long, youthful face. The boy pulled down his hood which revealed multiple piercings in his ears which glinted in the sunlight. His dark eyes were fixed upon Chan who must have looked like a deer in the headlights at this point due to the events that had just occurred in front of him. The boy began to advance towards Chan who flinched a little in response which made the younger halt.

 

“It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you. You look pretty beaten up. Would it be ok if I came closer so I could inspect and maybe patch you up a bit?” The boy’s voice was gravelly which again, Chan thought, suited him. There was no reason to indicate to Chan that he should trust the boy yet he felt like he could. He nodded in response to the question. The youth smirked slightly, made his way towards Chan and knelt down beside him.

 

“What the hell happened to you man? Why didn’t you fight back?”

 

“Fight back? Against a monster like that? How could I? I’m still in shock as to how you did it. I don’t even know what you did. I think my eyes were playing tricks on me. I hit my head at some point.” Chan gestured to the laceration on his forehead. “At one stage, to me anyways, it looked like you were using-” Chan stopped himself. What was he about to say to this stranger? That it looked like he was using magic? He didn’t want the boy to think he was crazy immediately after meeting him. So, he bowed his head and shook it.

 

“It looked like I was using magic, right?”

 

Chan’s head snapped back up as he looked straight ahead at the younger. The boy was smiling back at him. He grabbed Chan’s arm to inspect the wound that wolf had made. Chan grimaced at the pain while the boy frowned at the state of the injury.

 

“I’m going to take a wild guess here and say you’re new to Phantasm,” the boy stated more than asked while placing his hand over the teeth marks.

 

Phantasm? _We hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm…_

 

Chan was about to inquire as to what the boy meant when he felt a cool sensation on his arm and glanced down to see a small green light coming from underneath the boy’s hand. Chan nearly tugged his arm away in surprise but felt that the boy was trying to help him, not hurt him. What was this? Why did it feel so soothing? The boy glanced at Chan’s shocked face and chuckled in amusement. He removed his hand from Chan’s wound and took some bandages out of his pocket. He wrapped Chan’s arm but before he did, Chan saw that the injury was almost completely healed and gasped in surprise. The youth repeated this action with the wound on Chan’s head with both of them being silent throughout the treatment. Once the young man had finished, he sat back and sighed.

 

“Cuts and grazes are easy enough to heal but that broken ankle would take a lot more energy and time and we don’t really have either at the moment. If I rest for a while, I can fix you up but maybe we should get out of here and find somewhere safe to sleep for the night. What do you think about that?” the boy asked Chan with a small smirk. Chan was still dumbfounded at what the boy had just done to him. Not that he was complaining as he felt much better and more at ease than he had before the boy had shown up. Chan nodded his head to show he agreed with the boy’s plan.

 

“What’s your name?” the younger inquired. Chan actually had to think about his answer as his head was so busy trying to piece the events of the day together.

 

“Uh, it’s Chan. Bang Chan.” The boy smiled as if satisfied with Chan’s answer. Chan had a million questions but started out with the one that interested him the most. “Can you tell me where we are? I don’t really remember anything about how I got here.”

 

“We’re in Haknal. It’s one of the many regions within the game. Once you get used to being here, you can learn more about the geography of the place. It’s not really your main priority when you’ve just arrived here.” Chan’s head was spinning. He wasn’t sure if that was because of all of the information he was being fed or the headache that hadn’t subsided since he had woken up.

 

“Uh, alright. Oh, you never told me your name,” Chan stated. The younger boy tapped his head to show how silly he felt that he had forgotten such an important piece of information.

 

“I’m Changbin. Seo Changbin. It’s nice to meet you Chan.” Changbin extended his hand for Chan to shake which the older complied with.

 

“Ok then, let’s get out of here and head towards the village. We can lodge there for tonight and then figure out what to do with you tomorrow. Sound good?” Changbin asked. Again, Chan nodded, suddenly unable to find his voice. Changbin hopped up and again offered his hand for Chan to stand. Chan grabbed it and was hoisted up. He wasn’t in a standing position for long though. The dull pain in his head intensified and  the world started to spin. He felt himself falling backwards as his vision faded to black. The last thing he heard was Changbin calling out his name before he fell into a deep sleep.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the hits, kudos and all of the wonderful comments.  
> If anyone wishes to contact me about anything, my tumblr is @ stray-anpanman!


	2. Every person is a new door to a different world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everybody. Here's the next chapter for you guys. Thank you for all of the kudos and lovely comments on the last chapter. It really means a lot. AND...we finally have our fandom name! Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!

Chan had decided something. It had taken some time but Chan had come to the conclusion that his first day within Phantasm wasn’t just in the top five worst days in his life; it had, in fact, taken the number one spot. Injury, inexplicable anxiety and fear, nearly being eaten by a goddamn super wolf; Chan didn’t think that he was being too over dramatic thinking that, all in all, it was a pretty lousy day. The coolness that was spreading throughout his head made Chan more comfortable and relaxed but in remembering what had happened to him, he felt a sudden sense of alarm that made him force his eyes open and leap up straight into a sitting position allowing the wet cloth that had been on his forehead to fall to his lap. His breathing was rapid as if waking from a nightmare, which wouldn’t be a terribly inaccurate description of what had transpired. He surveyed his surroundings and began to feel more at ease when he realised that he was no longer in the terrifying forest but instead in a cramped but homely bedroom.

 

One would think the stone walls would cause the room to be frigid but this wasn’t the case as the sizable fireplace emminated enough warmth to supply the whole room with a comfortable heat. The light that the flames exuded as well as the sunlight streaming through the window allowed Chan to inspect the room with relative ease. It was sparsely furnished. A single, burgundy armchair was situated in the left hand corner of the room beside a rather worn looking wooden study desk. The floor was covered with a moth eaten wool rug which looked as if it had never seen the inside of a washing machine in its life. Chan was sitting in a simple wooden bed and covered with a viridescent, cotton blanket which Chan hugged closely to his chest to seek comfort rather than warmth.

 

Chan was getting pretty tired of waking up in unfamiliar places with no recollection as to how he got there but he felt a hell of a lot safer here than he had after waking up in the forest. Even though this was the case, Chan still jumped slightly when the door to his room opened and revealed a person standing behind it. The matronly woman that entered Chan’s room initially gave off a very intimidating vibe but almost immediately after, Chan knew that there was no need to feel at all frightened due to the enormous smile that adorned her face. Her muscular arms were suddenly raised above her head as she exclaimed in surprise most likely because Chan was now back in the world of the living. She practically skipped into the room like a young girl and stood beside Chan’s bed.

 

“Oh, thank the heavens. We were worried that you weren’t going to wake up, hun. Your fever was so high that it looked like your body was going to give out. I don’t think you could’ve taken much more.” The woman placed her hand on Chan’s forehead, obviously checking his temperature and Chan leaned into her cool touch without realising it. This caused the woman to chuckle and begin speaking again.

 

“Well it looks like your fever has broken though you’re not back to normal just yet but at least you’re still alive,” she commented as her hand moved down to cup Chan’s cheek. The woman gave off such a motherly vibe that Chan couldn’t help but like her as she reminded him so much of his own.

 

“Oh my goodness, I have to tell Binnie right away!” Chan stopped and thought. He came to the conclusion that the ‘Binnie’ she was referring to was more than likely Changbin. He smirked at the cute pet name she had given the adolescent that didn’t suit him at all.

 

“The poor boy was worried sick about you. He stayed with you for the past three days trying his best to heal you.” Chan frowned at that. He had been unconscious for three days?

 

“He used up so much energy trying to keep your fever at a safe level that I had to force him to rest for a while which is why he isn’t here now. You should notice that your ankle is back to normal though.” Chan wriggled his left ankle which he had broken in his attempt to escape from the wolf. He didn’t feel any pain from his foot and could move it around freely which indicated that it was indeed healed.

 

“Don’t forget to thank that boy. He doesn’t usually give out free medical care though I’m sure he would if he could. He’s such a sweet kid. Stay here and I’ll be right back with him.” The woman stood and began to walk away before stopping and swirling around to face Chan once again.

 

“How awfully rude of me. I never introduced myself. My name is Park Joomi and I am the owner of this inn.” She smiled and made an awkward curtsy which made Chan giggle and reply with his own introduction.

 

“It’s really nice to meet you Joomi-ssi. I’m Chan. Uh, thank you for letting me stay here,” Chan mumbled; embarrassed at how rough his voice sounded.

 

“Oh I already know your name and a little bit about you. Binnie told me what he knew and the fact that you’re new around here. Ok, I’ll return soon once I wake that sleepy boy and tell him you’re back with us.”

 

With that, Joomi left the room and Chan fell back into the fluffy pillows with a sigh. He barely got a word in edgeways in that conversation but didn’t really mind as Joomi seemed like the type that took the initiative in most conversations. He stared at the ceiling and listened to the sound of his own steady heartbeat to remind himself that he was actually still alive and kicking. He thanked whoever was out there for allowing him to live through such an experience. His calm thoughts were interrupted when he heard a piercing cry of “What?!” followed by a loud bang which Chan could only assume was Changbin falling out of his bed. Booming footsteps reached Chan’s ears as Changbin ran towards his room and stopped in the doorway with a slightly shocked expression. Chan grinned at the younger male and gave a little wave.

 

“Hey...Binnie…” Chan teased. Changbin looked taken aback at the sudden use of his nickname and turned to glare at someone down the hall who wasn’t supposed to call him that in front of others. Chan figured it was Joomi.

 

Changbin turned his attention back to Chan. “You. Don’t call me that. Not when I’m the one who saved your stupid ass and managed to drag you all the way back here so the monsters didn’t eat you. Show me a little respect. You’re probably the same age as me anyways,” Changbin accused.

 

“Well, I’m twenty one. How old are you Binnie?” Chan wasn’t going to let the playful nickname go anytime soon as he saw how much it annoyed the younger, which amused Chan immensely. Changbin’s face went a shade darker and an embarrassed look spread across his face.

 

“I-I’m nineteen but still you should thank me for saving you!”

 

“Ah, so that would make me your hyung, right?” Chan was starting to feel like his old self; engaging in lively banter with the younger. Changbin huffed in obvious annoyance and Chan’s face softened before continuing. “Thank you Changbin. Really, I mean that. I know I wouldn’t still be here if you hadn’t shown up and helped me. So, thank you.”

 

Changbin looked back at Chan with the annoyed look still on his face. Upon seeing Chan’s sincerity, he sighed and shook his head.

 

“Don’t worry about it...hyung. I would have done it for anyone. This time it just happened to be you.” Chan returned the younger’s smile as they stayed in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Changbin entered the room and took a seat in the armchair.

 

“This is the best you’ve looked since the moment I met you which means that I obviously did something right when healing you,” Changbin beamed almost proudly.

 

Chan thought that this was the time he needed to interrogate the younger about basically everything that had happened to him since he got here and more importantly, where exactly here was. Chan inhaled as he decided how he should phrase his questions.

 

“Would it be ok if I asked you a few things?” Chan inquired. Changbin relaxed into the chair showing Chan that he was ready to answer.

 

“You must have a lot of questions, huh? I know I did when I first arrived here. Sure, you can ask me anything and I’ll try to answer to the best of my ability.” Chan took this as Changbin’s signal to begin.

 

“Ok, firstly, where the hell are we? This sure doesn’t seem like Seoul from what little I’ve seen of it. When we met, you mentioned that we were in Haknal. I’ve never heard of such a place. You said it was a region in the game. Changbin, what’s going on?” Chan heard his voice crack a bit in confusion. Changbin leaned forward and clasped his hands together.

 

“I could sit here for hours and tell you about this place but I’ll give you the basic run down. You don’t remember how you got here but you remember everything about your life up until the moment everything goes dark in your memories, right?” Chan nodded at Chanbin’s question and the younger boy continued.

 

“We’re inside a virtual reality game. It seems awfully real, doesn’t it? All of us are in the same boat in here. We’re all here in the game but none of us know how we got here. We don’t know if we came in willingly or if we were forced to be here but the fact that we can’t leave without a fight makes us think that it wasn’t voluntary. We don’t- hey, can you stop looking at me like that? I’m not crazy!”

 

Chan’s brow was creased in suspicion as he had thought Changbin looked so sane in the beginning but first impressions aren’t always correct as he should really know by now. He said that they were in a VR game. He was kidding, right? Chan was sitting in a real bed with a real blanket covering him. The fire warming him wasn’t fake nor was the light now flooding in the window from outside.

 

“You can think I’m making all of this up but you saw it too, didn’t you? The message before you woke up. Welcome new player. You have been assigned the class of...whatever...statistics and abilities depend on the class you have been allocated and so on and so forth.” Changbin gestured with his hands to show he wasn’t going to regurgitate the whole message to Chan.

 

Changbin was right. He had seen that message. Now that his head was somewhat clear, he could remember seeing it. This had to be made up. He couldn’t be inside of a game but just as his gut had told him earlier, he felt that he could trust Changbin. What would the younger gain from telling him such a ridiculous lie? It just seemed too surreal to be true.

 

“I know from personal experience that it will take some time to get used to. When I came here and was told about this place, I straight up ran away from the people who were trying to help me. I ended up getting lost but they came to find me which looking back on now, I am really thankful for. Their guidance made the transition to living here a lot easier.” Changbin smiled as he recollected the memory. He fixed his gaze on Chan once again. “I’m not lying hyung, honestly.”

 

After a few moments, Chan nodded his head to show Changbin that he no longer thought that he was _entirely_ crazy which Changbin looked relieved at.

 

“How do you know that we are actually inside a game?” Chan inquired.

 

“We were informed by the person who created this place.” Chan sat up a little straighter at the mention of that.

 

“And who would that be?”

 

“Oh, we don’t know who they are. On very rare occasions, a rather loud klaxon rings out and you can hear it wherever you are. A robotic voice then echoes throughout the sky. It updates everyone of important events and such. We presume that this is whoever controls the game though they seem to want to interfere as little as possible. Those who were some of the first within Phantasm heard the very first message which stated:

 

_‘Welcome to Phantasm._

_We have designed this place to let you live out your wildest dreams._

_Abilities you could only imagine exist within this world as it is not the world you come from._

_Though it may be a different world, you are still you._

_If you injure yourself in a fight, you will feel pain. If you meet another who you wish to spend the rest of your life with, you will feel happiness. If you lose said person, you will feel immeasurable sorrow. If you meet your end within the game, death will follow you into the real world too._

_As you have already been told, the only way you may leave the game is by completing the trials that lie on each of the seven levels in the_ _Rautaja Fortress._

_Unknown dangers await you there and you will not be able to do it alone._

_Be careful who you trust._

_Not everyone is as they seem._

_We will be watching how you progress through this world._

_Good luck.’_

 

Changbin rubbed his temples as he recollected the speech he had heard a thousand times before he continued. “We don’t know who the voice belongs to but at the end of this and every announcement it concludes by saying: ‘ _We hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm.’_ And that is the only interaction we have with whoever runs this place.” Changbin finished by glancing at Chan who seemed to be lost in deep thought which Changbin couldn’t fault him for as he had the same look on his face when he was told this story.

 

“And why hasn’t anyone gone to this Fortress and gotten everyone out of here?” Confusion was clouding Chan’s head as he asked the question.

 

A loud scoff from the other caused the older boy to frown. “You don’t think anyone has tried? We’ve lost track of the number of people who have entered that place and never come back. There is a rule that only groups with ten people or less can enter the Fortress at one time so it’s not like we can all attempt it together. The voice I mentioned earlier, of the people running this place, always used to notify us when someone attempted the trials. It was pretty common in the early days, or so I hear. I’ve only been here for six months. There are people here that claim it’s been two years since they’ve entered Phantasm. We also always get a notification when anyone who enters that Fortress doesn’t make it. Less and less people attempt it as nobody has ever gotten through it safely. They’ve become complacent and some people are more than happy to stay here and live whatever fake lives they’ve made for themselves. Not me, though. It’s too dangerous. I can’t live my life here knowing that what I had in the real world is still out there waiting for me. The way I am now though, I know I’m not strong enough to attempt that thing; even if I don’t know exactly what’s inside. I need to keep training and better my skills so that one day, I may be able to take on that Fortress. That’s pretty much the rundown on that subject.”

 

Anxiety mixed with uncertainty was now coursing through Chan’s veins. This was too much information. He didn’t understand. Why the hell was he put in a situation like this?

 

A thought suddenly hit Changbin. “Ah, that’s right! Hyung, which class were you assigned? It told you in the message. Can you remember?”

 

“It said I was assigned the class of Knight. What difference does that make?” Chan questioned.

 

“Oh, that’s interesting. Knight isn’t overly common but those who were allocated that class are usually very strong and reliable people. How come you were given that class?” Chan realised Changbin was actually asking him the question and expecting an answer; it wasn’t just rhetorical.

 

“How am I supposed to know why?”

 

“The class you’re assigned has to do with the life you’ve lead up to now. Take me for example. I was assigned the class of Combat Medic. I don’t mind telling you the reason but try not to spread it around too much. It’s a little embarrassing. My parents are big shot lawyers that run one of the most successful and sought after law firms in Yongin, which is where I grew up. Ever since I was little, my parents have been pretty set on me taking over the firm when I was old enough. Before this mess happened, I was just about to enter college but I didn’t want to take over the law firm. I-” Changbin stopped for a moment before Chan motioned for him to keep going.

 

“I wanted to be a doctor; more specifically a paediatric doctor. I always had an interest in helping people like my parents but in a very different way. When I was younger, I was constantly ill; weak immune system and such so I spent a lot of my time in the hospital. The doctors who took care of me were so comforting and coddled me so that I wasn’t frightened of staying at the hospital without my parents who were too busy with work to constantly be by my side. I saw the kids they took care of and the consolation the doctors offered when they were scared or worried. I wanted to be able to help children like those doctors helped me. That’s why I was assigned to a Medic class. I guess the Combat side comes into it because I have a bit of a fiery temper when provoked. I don’t really have it in me to stand back and watch when a fight breaks out in front of me. So I can also use Holy magic to fight and defend myself.” Changbin looked rather pleased with himself.

 

“There must be a reason you were assigned the Knight class, even if you don’t know what it is yet. Also, my stats with regards to magic, magic defence and agility would be much higher than yours because I am more magically inclined and I have to maneuver more quickly to dodge attacks. However, since you’re a Knight, your strength and defence would be much higher than mine as Knights use more effective melee weapons and shields than a Medic would since they don’t rely on magic,” Changbin explained and Chan stopped to think. Weapons and shields? He’d have to learn how to use those if he wanted to survive within the game? Man, this seemed to be a lot more trouble than he thought it would be but he was thankful he wouldn’t have to learn magic.

 

“You can also learn certain magical skills but these are very limited within the Knight class.” Chan’s hopes of having a simple enough class to learn fractured a little when he heard this.

 

“One of the most useful skills for a Knight to learn would be an energy shield which is something similar to the one I used to protect you in the forest but it requires a very different method and energy. Again, you can learn all this when you feel better. For now, you should rest a bit more. What you may like to hear though is that Knight classes are usually known for being extremely selfless with no problem of drawing attacks so that their allies are protected. They have a great sense of self control and honour. So you must be a very amicable person indeed,” Changbin teased. Chan became slightly flustered at the sudden compliment but thought that this was his payback for goading Changbin about his nickname earlier.

 

“So, that’s the basic of the basics for you at the moment. Do you feel any more enlightened than you were earlier? Did I explain it enough for you?”

 

“I don’t think anyone will ever be able to explain this enough for me,” Chan sighed. This was really happening to him. This wasn’t a dream or some sick joke that Changbin was playing on him. He was really inside of a game which didn’t seem like much of a game at all. He had only arrived here and he nearly died.

 

Changbin suddenly looked at the clock on the wall. “Oh crap, I have to go to work. Listen, I’ll be gone until about five pm this evening. There is a tavern at the back of the inn. I’ll meet you there around five thirty and I’ll answer any more questions you can think of during the day, alright? While I’m gone, you should take a look around the village. There’s plenty to see and you can buy some supplies with the money you were given.” Changbin gestured to the desk where Chan saw the pouch he had found in his pocket in the forest three days ago. “Just try not to get ripped off and be careful of your belongings. There are a few people who were assigned the class of Thief when they joined the game so keep on eye on your stuff.” Changbin offered his advice and Chan nodded in understanding.

 

With that, Changbin took off. Chan sat there in silence as he played everything over again in his mind. That was a hell of a lot of information to take in but Chan felt that he had come to a weird sort of acceptance of everything that had happened though he couldn’t say he was overly thrilled at everything Changbin had told him. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and very carefully made his way across the room to get dressed and gather his belongings. He walked slowly down the stairs and strolled towards the exit of the inn but not before waving to Joomi to show he was heading out for the day.

 

The village of Haknal was indeed something impressive. It really did remind him of olden towns he used to see in video games he used to play when he was younger. Wooden and stone buildings lined the main street; each offering the passers by something they may need during the time they would spend in Phantasm. He passed a store that sold books on magic which didn’t really interest Chan at the moment. He moved past a shop where the windows were lined with various sized bottles, embellished with gems and filled with multi coloured liquids which made Chan think about the two bottles he had discovered in his back pocket and moved his hand to check if they were still there, which they were. Since Chan was so interested in taking everything in, it took him a couple of hours to make his way through the town before he came across an emporium that looked to be exactly what he needed. A man was soldering iron in front of the shop and stopped once he felt Chan’s eyes on him.

  
  
“Can I help you with something, kid?” A deadpan expression covered the man’s face. He had a herculean build, with his muscles looking like they were ready to burst through his thin, black t-shirt. Chan noticed a dark green tattoo which circled the man’s wrist and wondered if there was a special meaning behind it. Chan thought he looked like he could be a tank that could stop any enemy that came towards him.   

 

“Maybe. I’m not quite sure what it is that I’m looking for,” Chan replied awkwardly. The man huffed as if annoyed that his precious time was being taken up by this troublesome young man. Chan felt a little intimidated but continued.

 

“Apparently, I’m a Knight and I was wondering if you had anything that I could use to fight and protect myself?” Chan directed the question towards the man who seemed to soften at Chan’s last question.

 

“You new around here kid?” Apparently everyone seemed to know that Chan was new to Phantasm. He wondered what it was that kept giving him away.

 

“Yes sir, I am. Am I really that obvious?” Chan tilted his head to the side with the question.

 

“I’ve just never seen you around here before, that’s all. You want to see what I think would be best suited to you?” The man looked Chan up and down as if surveying his abilities. “Come on inside. I think I have the perfect thing for you. The name’s Chul Moo and you are?”

 

“I’m Chan. This is quite an impressive store sir. Do you make all of these weapons yourself?”

 

“Every single one of them. I have a few apprentices but none of them have ever made something here without me helping them. These weapons are my pride and joy,” Chul Moo chattered while he looked through some of his wares to the side. “Ah, here it is.” Chul Moo revealed to Chan a very intricately designed steel mortuary sword and matching kite shield. They shone in the light of the store and Chan was automatically drawn to them as his hands reached for both.

 

“These are perfect for a someone like yourself and will serve you well as you develop your skills. These would be my recommendation for you. Try them for yourself and see how you feel,” Chul Moo suggested as he handed both pieces to Chan who felt like he could get used to the feeling of a sword and shield pretty quickly. They were light but felt like they would provide a more than adequate defence. Chan smiled as he maneuvered the sword around in his hand. He didn’t need any more time to think.

 

“I’ll take them,” Chan said with determination but quickly stopped. “Oh, I should probably ask how much they are first.”

 

Chul Moo crossed his arms and exhaled. “Well, for both, I would usually charge around 600 gold coins.” Chan’s heart dropped as he remembered that he was only issued 500 coins at the beginning of the game. He went to hand back the items he had already grown attached to. Chul Moo raised his hand and continued. “For a decent kid like yourself? Let’s say 400 even. How does that sound?”

 

Chan beamed and quickly rummaged for the coin pouch in his pocket. He emptied the contents into his hands and counted the coins. He placed the money into Chul Moo’s hands and bowed to thank him again. Chul Moo let out a hearty chuckle.

 

“You ever need more equipment or something needs fixing, you come back to me and I’ll help you out. Alright, kid?”

 

Chan finally found something he liked about this world. The people here were so damn friendly. Changbin, Joomi, Chul Moo; all of them were exceedingly decent people. He thanked Chul Moo once again and made his way out of the shop with the shield adorning his back and his sword hanging loosely from his waist. Chan started to feel that his second, or technically fifth day since he was unconscious, within Phantasm was going to be a lot better than his first. He rummaged through his pockets again to take out his coin pouch so that he could use the remaining coins of gold to spend on some food. He was starving and realised that since he was asleep, he hadn’t eaten in three days.

 

Not only did he not have 100 coins, the pouch in which the coins should have been in was now gone. He stopped and looked around in a slight panic. Did he drop it? It wouldn’t have fallen out of his pocket so easily. This seriously wasn’t happening to him now. He suddenly remembered the advice Changbin had given him. _Be careful of Thieves._ He scanned the crowd to see if he could locate anyone who might look suspicious.  He did spot someone he thought looked dubious and they were staring back at him with a wide grin on their face while dangling his coin pouch in front of them. The adolescent let out out a loud laugh as he began to run away. Chan automatically took off after the boy even though the other seemed to be much faster than he was. Chan thought the guy probably had a much higher agility stat than he did. The boy suddenly stopped amongst the crowd and turned to face Chan who also came to a halt.

 

“Hey,” Chan said slightly out of breath, “that’s mine.” The young male giggled at Chan’s poor physical state.

 

“Not anymore man. You should really be more careful of your belongings. There are so many Thieves around here. You don’t know when they’ll strike.” The boy stated this fact as if he wasn’t one of the Thieves to which he was referring. He was still swinging Chan’s pouch in front of him as if he wanted to show off his snatching skills.

 

“You’re pretty broke but every little helps. Thanks for the change man, I’ll put it to good use.” The boy grinned before turning around and scaling the building beside them before disappearing over the roof. Chan had no intention of climbing a building to run after him. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it, he just didn’t want to. Chan had just decided that he liked the people in this place, then this little moron had to go and ruin it all. It was getting close to the time he was supposed to meet up with Changbin. So, with slightly lighter pockets due to the absence of his pouch, Chan returned to the inn with a scowl on his face. His second day in the game wasn’t turning out to be that much better than the first, he thought. However, it wasn’t over just yet and his whole opinion of the day may very well change.

 

* * *

 

 

The sun was beginning to disappear beyond the horizon as Chan made his way back towards the inn to meet at the arranged time and place with Changbin. He didn’t know if he should tell the young Medic about being pickpocketed after he had told him to be careful. He wasn’t sure if Changbin would be sympathetic or if it would result in endless mockery because of Chan’s carelessness. Chan ruffled his own hair in frustration. He was well and truly broke thanks to that little Thief. Would he have to ask Changbin to give him money simply so that he could eat today? He didn’t doubt that Changbin would give him some, that was just the type of person the younger seemed to be but he had already helped Chan so much. Chan didn’t want him to think he was taking advantage of his generosity. He began to walk up to the tavern where he was to meet Changbin. A warm glow came from the windows of the pub which was accompanied by music which sounded strangely welcoming to Chan.

 

Before he could proceed any further towards the steps of the tavern, something made Chan come to an abrupt halt. He listened carefully as something hit his ears; a sound that could only be described as angelic. Someone was singing inside and Chan’s chest started to swell. He had never heard a voice quite like it before. It was steady, clear and had such a sweetness to it that Chan felt like he could listen to it forever. He needed to see who this voice was coming from so, in a hurried walk, Chan made his way towards the tavern door and quietly pushed it open, so as not to disturb whoever was performing. When Chan stepped through the entrance, his eyes immediately searched for the owner of the voice. As if magnetically, his gaze was drawn to a young man situated by the fireplace of the tavern. His fingers were strumming a guitar like instrument which Chan had never seen before. The boy’s soft features matched his voice perfectly. His sandy hair fell just over his eyes which were in the shape of cresents as he sang. A dimpled smile was present on his face as he swayed and tapped his foot to the music he was producing. Chan was mesmerised by the young man. Everything about him drew Chan in. He wanted to know more about him. Even though the tavern was full of people, Chan felt like only he and the singer were present. He moved towards the musician a little before he stopped himself, realising what he was doing. He couldn’t just go over to him and start up a conversation. What would he say? That his voice is the most beautiful thing he had ever encountered and that his handsome face was the second? Chan shuddered at how incredibly awkward he would be trying to initiate a conversation with the other but his eyes were once again drawn back to the young man as he began to sing another song.

 

_Reflected in the mirror, I’m a maze,_

_My insides are reflected in my mirror, no,_

_Where can I find it?_

_For once I wish I could see myself,_

_I keep looking for it…_

 

Chan was so fascinated by the singer that he didn’t hear footsteps approach or feel someone stand beside him.

 

“Why are you making googly eyes at my friend, hyung?”

 

Chan screamed and jumped in the air due to the voice so close to his ear but managed to keep his balance and turn to glare at the other. Changbin threw his head back in laughter as he clutched his stomach. Chan was going to go back to calling him Binnie if the younger wasn’t careful. He huffed in exasperation as Changbin wiped away tears from his eyes from laughing so hard. Chan’s attention went back to the young musician who seemed unfazed by his loud outburst. Changbin nudged Chan’s side and wriggled his eyebrows at him causing Chan to look away, flustered.

 

“That’s one of my travelling companions. His name is Kim Woojin. Isn’t his voice something else? You can tell why he was assigned the class of Bard, right?

 

“Woojin, huh? And I wasn’t making googly eyes at him. I was just admiring his voice. He has a lot of talent, that’s all.” Chan tried to make an excuse for his behaviour though he caught Changbin’s expression from the corner of his eye. He could see the younger didn’t believe a word coming out of his mouth.

 

“Well he’s going to join us for dinner. Is that alright?” Changbin asked though it didn’t matter as Chan had already gone back to staring at his friend. The Medic shook his head in exasperation and clicked his fingers in front of Chan’s eyes to draw his attention back to him. “Well, hyung, is that alright?”

 

“Huh? Yeah, yeah. That’s...more than alright.” Changbin wondered how Chan had become so whipped so quickly; like a spell had been placed over him though he knew that there was no actual magic involved. Changbin grabbed Chan’s arm to drag him over to a free table where they would eat together. He made Chan sit while he placed himself directly across from his hyung. Changbin intentionally didn’t take the seat beside him in case Chan wanted his new crush to sit there instead. Before Chan could turn his attention back to Woojin yet again, Changbin began to speak.

 

“So, did you take a look around the town today? What did you think?”

 

“Yeah I did. It’s pretty spectacular and unlike anywhere I’ve ever seen. To be honest, after looking around, your explanation as to where we are is starting to seem more and more likely. I think I believe that we are actually inside of a game.”

 

“Wow, you came to accept your situation a lot faster than I did. Took me nearly a whole week but that’s good, I guess. It would have been irritating to have to try and convince you for much longer.” Changbin grinned playfully. “I can see you bought some equipment.” Changbin gestured to the sword and shield that Chan had purchased earlier. Chan smiled at the observation.

 

“Yeah, I think they suit me, don’t you? And I think I got them for a decent price too.”

 

“How much?”

 

“400 gold coins. That’s not bad, right?” Chan looked up, hoping for a good reaction from the younger.

 

“What?! Who sold you those for 400 coins?” Changbin slammed his hands on the table with his question. Chan was slightly taken aback at the Medic’s outburst.

 

“Uh, there was a weapons emporium about a thirty minute walk from here. The owner said he’d give me a deal because I was such a decent kid.” Chan was worried that he had been ripped off because of how Changbin had reacted.

 

“Goddamn it, Chul Moo. How come he never gave me a discount like that? I’m a decent kid too!” Changbin exclaimed. Chan relaxed a little as he realised he wasn’t ripped off but got a better deal than Changbin ever did at the weapons emporium. Chan snickered a little at Changbin’s pissed off expression. Before the conversation could progress any further, Changbin’s face softened as he looked straight behind Chan.

 

“Hyung, you were really good tonight. I particularly liked the last song.” Chan realised Changbin wasn’t talking to him anymore but rather Woojin who was situated right behind him. Chan slowly turned as he was met with Woojin’s heavenly smile which made Chan melt almost instantly. Woojin’s eyebrows raised in surprise as he looked at Chan.

 

“Is this the guy you were telling me about? The one who collapsed in the woods?” Woojin asked Changbin.

 

 _‘Really?’ C_ han thought. _'T_ _hat was the first impression he had of me?’_ Chan wanted the ground to swallow him up but he wasn’t sure if that was something that was possible in this world.

 

Woojin extended his large hand towards Chan in a greeting. “My name is Kim Woojin. Changbinnie has told me a bit about you. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

 

Chan grabbed Woojin’s hand a gave it a tight squeeze before shaking. The handshake lasted a little longer than socially acceptable because of the fact that Chan didn’t want to let go of the other’s hand. Woojin raised his eyes to Changbin, looking for an explanation as to what was happening but before Changbin could muster an answer, Chan realised he was staring at the handsome singer and detached himself from the handshake looking slightly mortified. Woojin let out a low chuckle before situating himself beside Chan.

 

“So, Chan, I hear you’re a Knight. That’s quite impressive considering the characteristics you need for such a class. I’m a Bard myself. I specialise in magic but unlike Changbinnie who uses his staff to amplify his spells, I use my voice and instruments; though I do have a lance to perform melee attacks too. I’m nowhere near as strong and helpful as our Medic here but I try as much as I can. Apparently, Bards are also great at diplomacy as we can charm people with our voices but I don’t know how true that is,” Woojin finished.

 

“Oh, Chan hyung, maybe that’s why you were so fixated on him. He charmed you with his voice.” A kick of great force came into contact with Changbin’s shin underneath the table which caused the younger to curse loudly, drawing the attention of people sitting next to them. Changbin nodded in apology before glaring at Chan who was glaring back at him. Woojin seemed unperturbed by what had just occurred between the two.

 

“So Woojin- sorry, do I call you hyung or…?” Chan looked unnerved by what Changbin had just said and tried to quickly change the subject.

 

“Well I think Changbin said you were twenty one, right? You’re the same age as me then. So, no, you don’t have to call me hyung. Woojin or Woojinnie will do just fine.” Woojin smiled softly at Chan who felt just about ready to combust from the singer’s adorableness.

 

“How come you were assigned the class of Bard, if you don’t mind me asking? I know Binnie over here is a little shy about the reason for his class.” The Medic now looked ready to throttle Chan if he ever called him Binnie again.

 

Woojin looked slightly taken aback at the question. “Oh, I don’t mind answering, though it’s a little depressing. I’ve always loved music and singing and it was my dream to become a professional singer when I was older. However, I grew up in a pretty poor household. My parents always tried to give me the best but I realised very quickly that they would always struggle with the simplest of things such as trying to feed me and my older brother. So, I used to sing on the streets to try and bring in some money and help them in anyway that I could. I never brought home much but they were always thrilled that I tried to assist them in some way. Since money was always a problem, there was no way my parents could afford to send me to get training to become a singer, so my dream kind of died before it really even began.” Woojin was looking at his hands on the table while Chan was completely engrossed in his story just as Changbin was even though he had heard it all before.

 

“My mom died when I was thirteen while my dad passed when I was sixteen. My brother cared for me after that before I figured I was old enough to try and make it on my own and stop being a burden to him. I work - or worked - at a bar back in Daejeon and they let me use the piano to practice my singing when the bar was closed which I was very thankful for. So, all in all, I never got to achieve my big dream of becoming a singer but I still sing simply because I love it. In this world, weirdly, I sing to defend myself and my friends in battle and to entertain people in places such as this. So, I seemed to have achieved my dream within Phantasm rather than in the real world. Isn’t that funny?”

 

Woojin finished his story and Chan felt a great sense of sympathy for the young musician though he knew that Woojin probably wouldn’t want his pity. Woojin lifted his head with a snicker as Chan and Changbin were startled by the boy’s laugh.

 

“You both look so serious. You can relax, I’m not depressed about my situation. You’ve just gotta take what life gives you and try to make the best of it, right?” Woojin directed the question at Chan who smiled softly and nodded his head. Changbin sighed and opened his mouth to speak.

 

“Can we order some food? After that awfully somber story, I feel exceedingly hungry.” Chan rolled his eyes at the younger. How could he be so heartless after hearing such a beautifully heartbreaking life story?

 

“Aren’t we going to wait for Jisungie? Ah, never mind, here he comes now.” Woojin waved at a young boy who had just entered the tavern. He waved back before coming over and sitting beside Changbin. A weird feeling suddenly invaded Chan’s chest but he quickly brushed it off. The boy positioned himself comfortably before Woojin began yet another introduction for Chan.

  
“Chan, this is another friend of ours. His name is Han Jisung. Jisungie, this is Bang Chan, the boy that Changbin found in the forest. We told you about him, remember?”  

 

Both boys looked at each other before their eyes grew wide and Jisung cursed under his breath while turning his head away from the table. Chan leaned in closer to the new arrival trying to catch his attention again.

  
“You! You were the one who stole my coin pouch earlier!” Chan exclaimed causing Woojin and Changbin to gawk at him in surprise. The new youth kept his attention glued to something away from the table as if it would diffuse the volatile situation if he ignored Chan.

 

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Jisung commented. Changbin looked at Woojin knowingly while Woojin glanced at Jisung with a disappointed expression.

 

“Jisung, we talked about this. You can’t keep pickpocketing innocent people. One of these days, you’re going to steal from the wrong person and get your ass kicked,” Changbin chided. Jisung turned to face the Medic.

 

“Jeez, when did you turn into my mother? I thought that was Woojin hyung’s job,” Jisung muttered with spite lacing his words. Changbin slapped the back of Jisung’s head before the boy looked to Woojin as if he wanted him to scold Changbin for hitting him. Woojin was too busy looking disappointed in the youngest to take notice though. They seemed to forget that Chan was sitting with them before he started to speak.

 

“I want my money back! That was all I had!” Jisung’s attention flew to the young Knight.

 

“Really? That was all you had? Damn, you are poor!” Jisung mocked.

 

“Jisung…” Woojin warned, looking dangerously annoyed.

 

“Hey, alright, alright. I’ll give it back. Wouldn’t want Woojin hyung to get mad at me now, would I?” Jisung fished Chan’s pouch out of his pocket before flinging it across the table. Chan grabbed it between his hands, glaring at Jisung before pushing it into his front pocket so that another Thief wouldn’t snatch it from him. Chan locked eyes with Jisung before continuing.

 

“I’m going to take a stab in the dark and assume you were assigned the class of Thief?”

 

“How is that a stab in the dark? Obviously that’s what I am. I even alluded to it earlier!” Jisung flailed his hands in the air trying to add dramatics while making his point. Chan definitely didn’t take as kindly to Jisung as he had to Woojin and Changbin. He didn’t know if he could get along with the little Thief.

 

“Oh my god, this is the most pointless conversation ever. I’m going to go and order some food and Jisung you’re coming with me. I’m afraid if I leave you two at the table together, you might end up attacking each other!” Changbin hoisted Jisung out of his seat and steered him towards the bar. Chan glowered at Jisung’s back and almost as if he felt it, Jisung turned around and stuck his tongue out at Chan before Changbin grabbed his shoulders and pushed him forward.

 

“Jeez, what is he, like five?” Chan complained to Woojin who just chuckled in response.

 

“Take it easy. Jisungie is a little immature and it can be a little difficult to get him to trust you but once you get to know him, he is a really good kid. He’s a little rough around the edges because of how he grew up but when he warms up to you, he will do anything for you. He’s really protective of his friends.” Woojin placed his hand on Chan’s shoulder which caused him to jump a little at the sudden contact from the Bard. He went back to glowering at the young Thief.

 

“I think you could give me all the time in the world and we wouldn’t get along,” Chan explained wryly. Woojin sighed though he knew that the two would become friends eventually.

 

Jisung and Changbin quickly returned with multiple plates of mouth watering food. Chan was thankful that the food within Phantasm looked somewhat similar to what he was used to in the real world and after taking a spoonful of sundae soup, he was relieved that it tasted the same too, if not better. Whoever made this game certainly did pay attention to the small details. The four boys quickly emptied the plates in front of them and sat back with content groans. Chan felt revitalised and suddenly very sleepy. He took his money from his pocket to give it to Changbin for his portion of the food but Changbin declined it.

 

“My treat tonight. Don’t worry about it. When you get more coins, you can treat us some other night, ok?” Jisung scoffed beside him which gathered the attention of the Medic and Bard. Jisung suddenly curled in on himself as if protecting himself from their annoyed thoughts. Chan thanked Changbin when he suddenly yawned. Woojin noticed this and grinned.

 

“It’s getting pretty late. Plus we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Should we call it a night?” Woojin questioned.

 

“You guys have a busy day tomorrow?” Chan inquired.

  
  
“We’re leaving Haknal to move onto the next region for a while. Haknal is our base of operations; we always come back here at least once a month but we try to travel as much as we can so we can gather information. Though being within Phantasm is certainly an experience, we do want to go back home. This world is far too perilous. There are too many risks plus we have people who are probably worried sick and waiting for us to return,” Woojin explained.

 

Jisung scoffed quietly. “Not all of us have people waiting for them to come back home.” Chan was unsure whether or not he was supposed to have heard what Jisung said but he had anyway.

 

“So, we travel the regions trying to hone our skills and become stronger so that hopefully, one day, we can take on the Rautaja Fortress and leave Phantasm.” Chan nodded in understanding but suddenly a sense of fear spread through him. They were leaving. Did that mean he was going to be left here alone? His hands started to tremble at the thought. He didn’t know what he was going to do if he was left by himself.

 

“Would you like to come with us?” Chan snapped his head up at Woojin’s words and a huge smile spread across his face. “We’re always looking for new people who could join our group. The more people we have, the better chance we have of defeating the trials in the Fortress.” Chan was interrupted before he could give his reply.

 

“Woah, woah, woah. Shouldn’t we vote on stuff like this?” Jisung exclaimed. Changbin scowled at the younger before turning to Woojin.

 

“All in favour of Chan hyung joining our party, raise your hand.” Changbin and Woojin put up their hands which Chan smiled at. “All opposed?” Jisung shot his hand in the air while scowling at Chan who narrowed his eyes at the younger.

 

“Sorry Jisungie, two against one. You have been overruled,” Woojin sang to the youngest who looked defeated. “Then it’s settled. Chan, if you’re willing, you’re more than welcome to come along with us.”

 

Chan felt like crying. He was so lucky to have found these boys (well, most of them) who had taken him under their wing. He promised himself that he would defend them with all of his might to repay their kindness. He realised the others were looking at him, waiting for his reply.

 

“I would really love that. Thank you so much.”

  
  
Woojin patted his shoulder again while Changbin winked in understanding. Jisung stood up with a sigh and muttered, “I think I need a drink.”

 

Woojin nearly had an aneurysm. “What do you mean a drink?! You’re only eighteen Jisung! You’re still underage!”

 

“A drink of water! Calm down, mom,” Jisung said without looking back at the group.

 

Changbin shook his head in exasperation. “I didn’t think I’d be raising a teenager at nineteen.”

 

Chan laughed at Changbin’s distressed form. He had found good people to travel with; people he felt safe with. He had no doubt that they would protect him and in return, he would do the same for them. He yawned once again and told Changbin he was ready to call it a night. He asked if it was ok to use the room he had woken up in to sleep tonight. Changbin replied that it was already paid for as they didn’t know when he would wake up, so it was all his. The other three boys were staying at the same place as Chan, in the rooms directly across from and beside his so they would all walk back together. Once Jisung had returned, they gathered their belongings and left the tavern to return to the inn. They bid each other good night and Woojin and Jisung returned to their respective rooms. Before Changbin could leave, Chan caught his sleeve which caused the other to turn around looking slightly confused.

 

“You seem to have this habit of helping me out of all of my problems. Between rescuing me in the forest, getting my money back from Jisung, paying for my meals, giving me a group to travel with; I can see why you were assigned a class that focuses on helping people. I just wanted to thank you again, Changbin. I hope I can return the favour as we travel together,” Chan beamed towards the younger.

 

“Hey hyung, don’t worry about it. You seem like a very trustworthy person and we would be more than happy to have you travel with us. Don’t mind Jisung by the way, he just has a habit of acting like a spoiled brat sometimes. You’ll get used to him.”  

 

“Woojin said something similar about Jisung, though he said it in a nicer way than you did.”  

 

Changbin sighed. “Well, Woojin hyung is a lot nicer than I am so that makes sense.”

 

Chan smiled tiredly and bid the younger good night. He entered the room he had been in earlier. The fire was lighting once again which was probably Joomi’s doing. He was glad for the warmth of the fire as it had grown a little chilly outside. He lifted the heavy covers on the bed and slipped in under them. His head hit the soft pillows and it didn’t take Chan more than a couple of minutes of thinking about the journey he would take tomorrow with his new friends to drift off into a comfortable sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the hits, kudos and all of the wonderful comments.  
> If anyone wishes to contact me about anything, my tumblr is @ stray-anpanman!


	3. The greatest danger occurs at the moment of victory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another chapter! What did you guys think of Stray Kids amazing comeback? Congrats to them on reaching 10 million views already! One more thing, I'm sorry for all of the angst in this one...hope you guys like it anyways. Well, onto the chapter.

The obnoxious knocking on Chan’s door made the boy whine as he stirred from his dreamless sleep. It continued until Chan rolled out of his bed to answer the call. On the other side of his door was Jisung, who looked annoyed that he was sent on wake up duty for the new recruit.

 

“Woojin hyung told me to come and wake you up. So, wake up,” Jisung said unamused. Chan inhaled heavily as Jisung walked away to start banging on Changbin’s bedroom door. Chan craned his neck just in time to see Changbin emerge from his room and envelop Jising in a headlock.

 

“Hey, dumbass. There are people who are still sleeping in the inn. Try to have a little manners, huh?” Changbin dug his fist into Jisung’s head which elicited small apologies from the Thief. Jisung managed to free himself from the older’s grasp with a small grin. He caught Chan staring at them which caused the youngest to go back to looking unimpressed while he relayed the same message to Changbin as he had to Chan, before walking back to his own room to gather up his belongings so they could head on their travels. Changbin looked back to Chan and nodded his head to indicate a morning greeting before Chan smiled and nodded back.

 

“Did you sleep ok?” Changbin asked.

 

“One of the best night's sleep I’ve ever had. Though you look like you didn’t rest very much.” Chan gestured to the dark bags under Changbin’s eyes and the boy just huffed.

 

“A bad habit of mine. I tend to stay up pretty late reading up on new spells that I can learn. Woojin hyung constantly nags me about it, saying I should take care of my health first but in the end, I can just do this.” Changbin raised his hands in front of his eyes and a small yellow light formed beneath his hands, washing over his tired face. Chan had to stare as Changbin’s face looked like it had become revitalised, with the dark shadows under his eyes disappearing completely. The Medic dropped his hands and his face looked like Changbin had slept through the whole night.

 

“It takes a little energy so I may be a bit more physically tired but my appearance doesn’t show it which will keep Woojin hyung’s mother-like nagging to a minimum.”

 

Chan didn’t have the heart to tell the younger boy that Woojin was standing behind him the entire time he was reinvigorating himself. Changbin’s actions gave the older reason to smack the Medic on the back of the head causing Changbin to yelp and spin around.

 

“I told you not to use your energy for stuff like this. It doesn't matter how you look, I can still tell if you’ve spent the night reading in your room,” scolded Woojin.

 

“It doesn’t matter how I look? Hyung, what are you talking about? I’m the visual of this group. I have to look great at all times,” Changbin replied playfully which caused Woojin to roll his eyes and Chan to to guffaw in amusement. Woojin’s eyes met with Chan’s and the Knight suddenly became very aware of the Bard’s gaze on him. Chan bowed towards Woojin before scuttling into his room to get dressed but not before he heard Changbin chuckle and say, “Hyung, you’re going to to make him combust. Look at what you’re doing to the poor boy!” He could hear the confusion in Woojin’s voice when he replied with “What do you mean?”

 

Chan quickly dressed himself and cleaned the place to the best of his ability. He wouldn’t want to repay Joomi’s kindness with a messy room. He picked up his sword and shield and attached them to his body before taking one last look to make sure everything was in order. Once he was satisfied with the state of the bedroom, he walked out the door to meet the other boys who were waiting for him. They headed towards the front desk where Joomi was sitting, singing to herself.

 

“Ah, my favourite boys. Did you all sleep well?” she inquired.

 

“Like a baby. Didn’t stir all night,” Changbin replied as he smiled at Joomi. Chan could see Woojin glare at the Medic before rolling his eyes with an irritated huff as he knew he was lying.

 

“We won’t be back for a while Joomi-ssi. We’re heading to Aquiria for a week or two. Should be interesting. I haven’t been there before,” Jisung explained. Chan’s eyes widened a bit. Who was this kid and what had he done with Jisung? He was so polite towards the older woman who lovingly smiled back at him. Jisung caught Chan’s stare and looked at him, mouthing a _‘what?’_ before turning back to grin at Joomi.

 

“Oh, down by the sea? I haven’t been there in so long. I would love to go back but I can’t leave this place in anyone’s hands. So, I’ll just have to stay here by myself.” Joomi pouted in mock heartbreak.

 

“We promise to take lots of pictures and bring you back a souvenir as we always do,” Jisung beamed. All right, that was it. This definitely wasn’t the same kid from last night, unless he had multiple personalities. Joomi grabbed Jisung’s cheeks and squeezed softly which evoked a small cry of pain from the Thief who quickly managed to free himself. Chan grabbed Woojin’s arm and dragged him back a bit out of earshot of the others. Woojin nearly fell at the sudden movement and quickly looked at Chan.

 

“This isn’t the same Jisung that I met last night and was woken up by this morning. What is happening?” Chan asked Woojin who chuckled slightly.

 

“Jisung has a bit of a soft spot for Joomi-ssi because she’s the one who found him after he first arrived in Phantasm. She discovered him injured in an alleyway off of the main street and offered him a place to stay after she found out he was new here. She’s kind of like a mother figure to him which he really cherishes because his own mother-” Woojin was suddenly cut off by Jisung who began yelling as Joomi ruffled his hair too much. Woojin straightened himself.

 

“You know what, it’s really not my place to tell you Jisungie’s story. If he wants to share it with you, he will tell you in his own time, ok? Woojin said with, what Chan thought was, a sad smile.

 

“Well, you boys have fun and make sure to look after each other, you hear me?” Joomi pointed her finger at each of the boys to show she was dead serious. All of them nodded their heads in understanding. Chan felt like he really didn’t want to get on Joomi’s bad side. They bowed to show that they were heading out and Jisung waved happily at Joomi who slowly waved back with a slight grin.

 

They headed down the main street while Woojin looked at the map to make sure they were going in the right direction. He mentioned to Chan that he had been to Aquiria before but he was always afraid of taking a wrong turn somewhere and getting lost. They reached the edge of town and exited through a rather colossal pair of mahogany doors which sealed the entrance to the city. Chan thought that this was probably a defence to keep monsters and possibly raiders out. On the other side of said doors, Chan was greeted with miles and miles of open fields with long paths, leading in different directions, meandering throughout them. Large, overhanging trees lined the trail that the boys were now traversing down.

 

Changbin and Jisung were in the middle of a heated discussion over what the best thing they eaten during their time in Haknal was while Woojin was still focused on surveying the map. A sudden question came to Chan which he felt comfortable in asking the others.

 

“Hey, there were so many people in Haknal. Is everyone here in the same situation as us? Like, each person that we passed on the way down the main street, they were all forced to play the game just like us?” Jisung rolled his eyes at Chan’s question while Changbin began to answer.

 

“No. Not everyone in here is a real person. Just like in regular games, there are quite a lot of NPC’s roaming around. You can interact with them but some have very automated responses. A couple of them though, like ones that run stores and such, are able to keep a conversation going about an abundance of topics and respond to your questions with ease so sometimes you would think that they are indeed a real person. The easiest way to tell if a person is a human like us or an NPC is the presence of a green ring around their wrists. All of the NPC’s have them.” Changbin finished his explanation, gesturing to his own blank wrist as Chan nodded his head when his brow suddenly wrinkled in confusion. He had already interacted with someone who had a green ring around his wrist. Woojin jumped slightly when Chan raised his voice in exclamation.

 

“Wait! Then, the owner of that weapons emporium I went to, the one where I got my sword and shield, the owner there wasn’t a real human?”

 

“Oh, you met Chul Moo?” Woojin asked. “Yeah, he isn’t a human. If you ask him anything about Phantasm or the people running it, he changes the subject like he’s designed not to talk about it.”

 

Chan thought back to his conversation when Chul Moo had asked him if he was new because he said he hadn’t seen him around before. Chan realised he was simply asking if he was new to Haknal and not new to the game itself. Also, when Chan asked Chul Moo for recommendations, he surveyed him and Chan thought that he probably was, in fact, inspecting his abilities so that he could give him something that would suit his class. This was indeed a very elaborately designed game.

 

“Well, I’m getting bored of walking with you people so I’m going to go and scout ahead.”

 

Before anyone could say anything, Jisung took off before leaping up into the trees. Chan could see the boy hopping from branch to branch before he disappeared into the leaves. He thought Jisung was very much like a squirrel in the way he moved through the trees.

 

The boys continued walking for a while along the path towards the new destination when Changbin suddenly hummed. Chan’s attention went to the Medic who looked slightly worried and Chan tried to meet his eyes before asking him what was wrong. Changbin shook his head quickly.

 

“Oh, it’s probably nothing. It’s just- when Jisung scouts ahead, we have a deal that he’s supposed to return and report every fifteen minutes so we know that nothing has happened to him. It’s been twenty and he hasn’t come back yet.”

 

Woojin stopped in his tracks. The Bard obviously hadn’t been keeping track of the time the youngest boy had been gone as he had been too busy trying not to get lost by reading his map.

 

“What do you mean its been twenty minutes? Why isn’t he back yet? We made that plan to keep him safe. Where is he?” Chan could see Woojin was starting to go into panic mode so he placed a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort the older boy.

 

“I’m sure he’s fine, Woojin. He probably just got distracted. It’s only a few minutes over the allotted time. He’ll come back any minute now, just wait and see.” Chan knew that when someone you cared about went missing, no words could possibly comfort you but he knew he had to try. Changbin suggested staying in one place so it would be easier for Jisung to find them if he came back so they stopped and sat on the side of the path while they waited for the young Thief to return. Five minutes passed, then ten and then fifteen. Woojin had almost started to hyperventilate at this stage with Changbin not far behind him. Chan also felt a slight sense of worry for the safety of the youngest boy but knew that he had to keep a calm, collected head. He got up and spoke to the others.

 

“Look, lets keep walking. Maybe we will find him along the way. We can call out to him to see if he responds. Sitting here and waiting isn’t doing any good. Come on, let's go.” Chan extended one hand to Woojin and the other to Changbin and hoisted both boys up.

  
They began walking again and calling out Jisung’s name in the hopes of finding their friend. No answers came back to them and their worried pleas became louder and louder. They didn’t catch the attention of Jisung but there were others who were drawn to their voices.

 

Chan stopped suddenly. He didn’t know what it was but there was something in his head that was screaming at him to get into a fighting position. The other two boys were still walking in front of him, calling out their companion’s name. Chan quickly scanned their surroundings before a glint in the treeline caught his eye. His brain quickly made sense of the situation and his eyes flew to his comrades. He bolted towards them before he reached out his hands for both of them.

 

“Get down!” Chan screamed as he tackled both boys to the floor. The three of them came crashing to the ground while Chan heard a whistle through the air. Upon raising his head and looking around, he noticed an arrow imbedded in the ground right behind them. Had Woojin still been standing, that arrow would have been implanted right in his chest. Chan quickly jumped to his feet, grabbing his shield from his back and sword from his belt. This was an indication to the other boys to get ready to fight.

 

Five men suddenly dropped from the trees in front of them, though Chan was sure that more remained where the others had come from to help with long ranged attacks.

 

“Gentlemen, lovely weather we’re having, isn't it? We are mere travelers who mean you no harm. We just want to talk.” One of the men, possibly the leader, spoke towards the smaller group. The ratio of hair on his head seemed to be disproportionate as none adorned the top of his head but a full, rugged beard covered the bottom half of his face. Muscular arms were crossed over his thick chest as he grinned slyly at the boys.

 

“That’s funny. To me, you look like bandits who attack and steal from unsuspecting travellers. You say you don’t mean us any harm, yet there is an arrow that could have pierced through my heart right behind us. And yes, the weather is quite lovely today, isn’t it?” Woojin replied sarcastically which made Chan smirk a bit despite the situation.

 

“Us? Bandits? I am hurt you would think such things about us.” The bald man placed his hand over his heart as he tried to sound as wounded as possible. “We are simple men. All we truly want are all of your belongings and money. Now, that’s not too much to ask of you, is it?” He spoke as if he had rehearsed all of this beforehand and Changbin shook his head at the man’s dramatics before answering.

  
“Why would you think that we would simply roll over and give you what you want, hmm?”

 

“My good boy. We are nothing if not fair. You give us your effects and of course, we will give you something in return. I believe this belongs to you?” The man gestured to one of his companions who stepped aside to reveal a beaten and bloody Jisung, looking like he no longer had the strength left to stand as he was being held up by one of the bandits. Chan’s heart clenched in his chest at the sight of the young Thief while a sense of rage proceeded to engulf his entire body.

 

A low growl came from behind Chan who spun around to see Woojin looking furious while Changbin was already reaching for his staff to teach these men what happens when they hurt his friends.

 

“Oh, so you’re not going to back down? You’re really going to fight us? Three against seven? That seems interesting. Ok then, have it your way. Let’s go boys.” The vile man signaled to his allies to attack the boys, however, it was not one of the bandits who moved first. A mangled cry of pain escaped the lips of the man who had been holding Jisung up as one of the Thief’s Daggers was plunged into his shoulder. Jisung quickly pulled it back out before disappearing at lightning speed, so fast that Chan couldn’t make out where he had moved to. Jisung appeared once again at Changbin’s side with a slight grin on his face but Chan noticed that he was breathing rather heavily as his legs buckled slightly beneath him.

  
“Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh assholes?” Chan smirked at the younger’s fighting spirit before turning around to face the bandits once again. The leader’s face had gone from mocking to displeased. He gestured with two fingers towards the other group to show his comrades that they could begin their attack.

 

A small, silver ball suddenly rolled towards the boys before exploding with a blinding light. Chan rubbed his eyes quickly trying to regain his sight as he heard a jovial chuckle. He opened them to find that the others were already in the middle of their own battles. Chan came face to face with one of the bandits, who made Chan gasp a little in surprise. It was a kid. He looked like he could be the around the same age as Jisung. Platinum locks fell in front of the boy’s dark eyes as his lips were graced with a small grin. A long, silver Whip dangled from his hands which was suddenly latched around Chan’s leg. The young bandit tugged which caused Chan to slip and come crashing to the ground. Another laugh fell from the youth’s mouth. Chan wasn’t going to lie here and be attacked by this kid, not when the others were fighting off their attackers so well. Even Jisung was holding his own despite being badly injured. Chan quickly stood again after detangling himself from the boy’s weapon as another bandit came to stand beside the first and Chan had to laugh in disbelief. Why were all of the bandits so young? The second attacker was slightly taller than the first and possessed darker features though he seemed to be wearing the same smirk as his friend. Why was the leader recruiting kids to work for him? Chan didn’t have time to continue with his thoughts as another sphere came flying towards Chan, courtesy of the second boy who had joined. This time, instead of light, smoke came billowing towards Chan which made breathing rather difficult. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the raven haired bandit come towards him to attack but Chan was suddenly on the ground again. This time, however, it was not because of the enemies but rather Jisung.

 

“Come on man, wake up and fight back!” Jisung shouted. He had obviously incapacitated his own attacker and had come to help the older boy. Chan jumped back up quickly and situated himself beside Jisung ready to fight. A sharp hiss flew through the air once again as Chan narrowly managed to push Jisung out of the path of an oncoming arrow that came from the trees where Archers were attacking them. The Thief simply nodded in gratitude before returning to the fight in front of them. The boy with the Whip charged towards the two with Jisung dancing around him with ease and Chan bashing his shield into his back. He harshly went crashing to the ground and upon seeing this, Chan felt like he couldn’t use his sword on the kid. He didn’t have a green ring on his wrist which meant that he was a real person and the message he had seen before he first woke up flashed in his head. If he killed this boy here, then he would die in the real world too and Chan didn’t know if he could have that on his conscience for the rest of his life. The others in his group seemed to be of the same opinion as they only injured their attackers without killing them.

 

Chan was shaken from his thoughts when the second bandit, looking slightly concerned for the well being of his friend, lunged towards Chan trying to throw a punch at the Knight. Chan noticed the boy had something similar to brass knuckles adorning his hands though they were covered in spikes which, Chan thought, were hurt like hell if they were to come into contact with his face. He dodged just in time which caused the bandit to stumble forward, lose his balance and fall to the ground beside his ally before they all heard a booming voice which belonged to the arrogant leader of the group. The two youths that Chan and Jisung had been fighting quickly moved back to where they had started behind the leader. It seemed whatever the man had said was an indication for all of them to fall back.

 

“I can’t believe all of you are so useless. We outnumbered them and you still couldn’t do anything,” the leader scolded his men. “Especially you two. I generously take you under my wing and you disgrace us like this?” The unpleasant man directed the statement towards the two boys that Chan and Jisung had been fighting who looked to be trembling at his criticisms.

 

“You!” The leader gestured towards the blond boy with the whip who jumped a little. “How come you didn’t use your class’s special abilities? Are you still being a little coward? Still afraid to use them?” The leader sounded like he was harshly mocking the youth as the boy had his gaze fixed on the ground and shook in fear. “I warned you what would happen if you let me down again, kid.”

 

The blond quickly whipped his head towards his boss and began to slowly back away while terror invaded his eyes. Chan wondered why they had such an adverse reaction to the man’s words but he wasn’t left wondering for long when the man pulled a small pistol from his belt, aimed at the boy he had been jeering at and fired just above his heart. The gunshot rang through the air which caused almost everyone flinch in surprise. It was followed by a scream that originated from the second boy who Chan had fought with. Adorning a bullet hole in his chest, the young bandit’s body fell to the ground with a thump while his friend ran to him and began to cradle him in his arms. His tear filled eyes stared at his companion, whose breathing was becoming laboured. Chan’s group could only stand in shock as they observed the scene in front of them.

 

“How could you do that to him?! We tried so hard. You said that if we did our best, it would be good enough. Why would you shoot him? He’s going to die because of you!” the young bandit accused before his leader laughed at his distress.

 

“Well, kid, it looks like your best simply wasn’t good enough. You two have disappointed me far too many times and are no longer useful to me. I told you that if you failed again, you may as well be dead to me and I have to show the boys here that I always mean what I say. So, you can stay here and try to bring your friend some comfort before he dies. Nobody on this team has the ability to save him now anyways. You’re becoming a liability which I just can’t afford. It’s been nice knowing you kids but we’re done here. Let’s go boys.” The bandit leader gestured to the rest of his group before they all vanished into the trees, leaving the two boys in the middle of the path holding onto each other. Chan and the others relaxed their stances as they knew they were no longer in any danger but they couldn’t take their eyes off of the two youths in front of them. The boy supporting his friend began to cry.

 

“Come on, please. You can’t leave me by myself. I can’t keep going without my best friend. Don’t leave me here on my own, Felix. Breathe. Come on, that’s it. Just keep breathing.”

 

The young bandit, who the others now knew as Felix, choked and pushed his fist against the other’s chest with a small smile as if trying to comfort the crying boy. Blood was beginning to leak from the corner of his mouth.

 

“Hey, Hyunjin, don’t cry. Your face gets real ugly when you do that, mate.” Felix tried to continue before he began to cough violently and his blood spattered his comrade’s shirt.

 

Hyunjin’s gaze suddenly focused in on Changbin who looked a little startled.

 

“You! You’re a Combat Medic, right? Please help him. I know we don’t deserve it after what we did to you but please, he’s my best friend. We’ve gone through the game together. We might not have made the best decisions here but he doesn’t deserve to die like this. Please, help him. Please, I’ll do absolutely anything for you. I’ll give you everything I have. Please don’t let him die!”

 

Hyunjin was practically screaming at Changbin to help his dying friend, tears streaming down his face. Chan didn’t need to look at Changbin to know that the he wasn’t going to hesitate in answering the boy’s pleas and his thoughts were confirmed when Changbin placed his staff on his back and rushed over to the bleeding boy before giving instructions to Hyunjin about how he could help him. Jisung and Woojin were still frozen in shock after the bandit leader had shot the poor boy as if it was nothing. What Chan hadn’t been told yet was that the group of boys had a strict no killing policy unless it was a matter of life and death. So, to see someone have such little regard for human life shook them up more than a little bit. Chan was dazed but quickly came back to reality and rushed over to Changbin to see if there was anything that he could do to help.

 

“What do you want me to do?” Chan directed the question towards the Medic who was busy ripping Felix’s shirt to get a better look at the wound.

 

“Hyung, put pressure right here. I need to try and minimise the bleeding before I help him. I can’t have him die from blood loss before I complete the healing spell.” Changbin directed Chan in what to do before turning to the other boy.

 

“Your name’s Hyunjin right?”

 

Hyunjin nodded his head while he held onto Felix’s hand, his watery eyes never leaving his injured friend.

 

“Ok, Hyunjin, I need you to look at me. I’m going to ask you to do something which might affect you for a little while. This is a pretty serious injury and if we don’t act fast, your friend isn’t going to make it.”

  
  
This made Hyunjin whip his head towards Changbin to show that he was ready to help in any way that he could.

 

“I need you to transfer some of your energy to me in order for me to complete this spell in such a short amount of time. Place your hands on my shoulders and close your eyes. My garb will absorb your energy if we both focus on the spell. You’re going to feel really weak after it but if you want your friend to survive, then this is what you need to do.”

  
  
Changbin barely got to finish his sentence before Hyunjin stood up and situated himself behind him with both of his hands placed on the Medic’s shoulders. His eyes immediately closed and he began muttering. Chan wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or not but eventually began to make out what he was saying:

 

“Please let him live. Please be ok, Lix. Please make it through.” Hyunjin kept repeating these phrases over and over as if it would have any effect on the outcome.

 

Changbin gestured towards Chan to move away, which he did, with Felix’s blood now coating his slightly trembling hands. Changbin immediately placed his own hands over Felix’s wound as a crimson light emanated from the Medic’s fingers. Changbin was quietly whispering what Chan presumed to be the healing spell in a language that Chan had never heard before. Felix let out a loud cry as if he was in tremendous pain which made Hyunjin whip his head up at the sound of his friend’s distress. Changbin yelled at him to keep his eyes closed and stay focused on transferring his energy. Hyunjin did as ordered and resumed his muttering. The injured boy continued to writhe in pain as agonizing screams left his mouth.

 

“Hyung, I need you to hold him down or else I’m not going to be able to finish trying to heal him,” Changbin hollered at Chan. He knelt beside Felix and held his shoulders down to try and minimise his thrashing.

 

Changbin continued his spell for almost thirty minutes as the others watched him in complete silence so that they didn’t disturb the Medic in his work. Both he and Hyunjin were starting to look dangerously weak but Changbin suddenly stopped whispering before either of them collapsed. He raised his hands from Felix’s wound which showed the others a rather nasty scar on his chest but that there was no longer and blood coming from the wound. Felix’s breathing, although rough, was back to a normal pace, his eyes now closed as he slept. Thanks to Changbin, his life was no longer in any immediate danger though they would have to keep a close eye on his condition for a while longer.

 

Changbin sighed in relief since the spell that had been taking a toll on his body was now over. He went to stand though his legs wobbled a bit before he inhaled deeply to try and steady himself. He had done this spell only a handful of times before. Since he worked as a travelling Medic, a few people who had been involved in a fight or had been attacked had been brought to him for medical care but very few had been as injured as Felix was. He never got used to the feeling of dizziness and nausea that accompanied the side effects of the spell, however, he was happy to endure it if it meant the boy would live.

 

Hyunjin, when seeing the Medic stand, realised the healing process was over and crawled over to his friend to inspect his injury. When he saw the work that Changbin had done, small whimpers left his mouth once again as he looked up at the older boy.

 

“Thank you. Thank you so much. I won’t ever be able to repay you,” Hyunjin sniffled.

 

“He’s not out of the woods just yet. We need to get him somewhere safe so that I can monitor him for the night. There’s a small village about two miles north of here. It’s the closest place that we can go so I say we head there and spend the night. We can talk more tomorrow, alright?” Changbin suggested.

 

Hyunjin nodded his head while Woojin and Jisung approached Changbin. Woojin placed his hand on the Medic’s shoulder to show how proud of him he was while Jisung smirked at his hyung’s medical skills. Chan was also in awe of the young man and his abilities and thought that even within the game, Changbin would be considered an awfully strong Combat Medic.

 

Satisfied that Felix was safe for now, Hyunjin began to try and stand before his legs crumpled beneath him and he began to fall backwards. Woojin darted forward and caught the boy before he could come into contact with the ground. Everyone whipped their heads towards Hyunjin out of concern but Changbin quickly realised he had just fallen unconscious because of transferring so much of his energy to help with the spell. Woojin maneuvered the boy onto his shoulders and hoisted him up into a piggyback.

 

“He must be pretty exhausted since I don’t think he’s a magic based class. Transferring energy is a tough ability to master, even when you are magically inclined, so his body probably isn’t used to it. I think he was the one making the bombs that kept flying at us. That would make him an Alchemist, right? That’s a pretty rare class,” Woojin commented. Hyunjin was completely knocked out on his back but instinctively grabbed the elder’s shirt as if seeking comfort which made Woojin chuckle.

 

“Ok, I’ll take Felix then. I don’t think you or Jisung are in any state to carry him anywhere.” Chan gestured towards Changbin while he carefully placed the injured boy on his back similar to how Woojin had done with Hyunjin.

 

Changbin nodded in understanding before turning to Jisung with a slight glare. “We told you to come back after fifteen minutes so that nothing would happen to you! Look at the state you’re in! You saw the bandits and stayed to observe them, didn’t you? You were discovered and almost killed because you got too cocky Jisung! This could have been the end for you!” Changbin was now shouting at the young Thief who had jumped at the elder’s raised voice, obviously startled by Changbin’s sudden outburst. This was yet another side to Jisung that Chan had not seen before. He felt that the boy was probably a lot more complex than he had originally thought as tears began to pool in the corners of his eyes and spill over. Changbin sighed deeply before dragging his hands over his face. Wrapping one of his arms around Jisung’s shoulders, Changbin tugged him into a tight hug while placing his other hand on the back of his head as if to pull him in closer as Jisung hugged him back.

 

“You scared the crap out of us, Jisungie. Please be more careful. None of us can afford to lose you.” Changbin pulled away from Jisung and wiped away the tears still falling down the boy’s cheeks. “Now I don’t even have enough energy to patch up that ugly mug of yours,” Changbin teased which made Jisung chuckle as he pushed his hyung’s hand away from his face.

 

“It’s ok, hyung. It doesn’t matter how I look. You’re the visual after all.” Changbin smacked Jisung’s shoulder which caused the younger to laugh again.

 

Woojin grinned at the moment his two friends were sharing before commenting that they should probably start moving towards the next village to allow everyone to rest. Chan now had Felix secured on his back and could hear the younger’s steady breath brushing past his ear. He kept listening for that sound as an indication that he was still alive and kicking. Woojin carried Hyunjin towards their destination with the boy still holding onto his shirt. Changbin and Jisung placed their arms around each other as a form of support as both were physically and mentally drained from the events of the day.

 

* * *

 

It took a little over an hour to reach the small village Changbin had mentioned earlier. All six boys were now well and truly exhausted and in need of some recuperation. They located the local inn with relative ease and made their way inside. The owner looked at the boys with a little concern on her face, more than likely because of how they looked but didn’t question them which they were thankful for. They rented three rooms, deciding that they would double up instead of wasting money on their own separate rooms. Changbin stayed with Felix so that he could monitor the boy’s condition throughout the night which told Chan that the young Medic probably wouldn’t be getting much rest himself. Woojin said he would look after Hyunjin even though he was pretty sure that after some rest, the boy would be fine. That left Chan to room with Jisung which neither complained about, they were just happy that they would finally get to relax and unwind.

 

Woojin, with Hyunjin still on his back, bid the others goodnight and shut his bedroom door. Changbin helped Chan carefully detach Felix from his shoulders before placing him on the warm bed and covering him with the soft blanket. Chan thanked Changbin for the help and complimented him on a job well done. Changbin waved him off and told him to go to bed as if embarrassed at the sudden compliment. He left the Medic to care for the young boy while he returned to his own room and quietly shut the door as he saw Jisung was already snuggled up and asleep in his own bed. Chan slipped beneath the welcoming covers before looking over at Jisung. Those assholes had really done a number on his face. A large bruise was starting to form around the Thief’s left eye. He had a busted lip with multiple abrasions all over his face. Chan wondered how he could have fought so well after being assaulted so viciously before a small voice startled him.

 

“Stop looking at me like that, I’m fine. I’ve had worse, believe me. Changbin hyung will fix me up in the morning. You don’t have to pretend like you care.”

 

Chan was slightly taken aback at Jisung’s harsh words. Sure, they may not always have seen eye to eye but he realised that he hated the idea of Jisung thinking that he didn’t care about what happened to him. When he had initially seen his beaten form, the rest of Chan’s feelings had been overcome by fury and concern for the well being of the younger boy. He sighed heavily before looking at Jisung again.

 

“I’m not pretending, I was really worried about you earlier. When you went missing, I thought Woojin was actually going to collapse due to stress. He thought you weren’t going to come back and from the looks of it, you nearly didn’t. Changbin was right when he said you should be more careful.”

 

Jisung laughed humorlessly which caused him to clutch his side in pain. Chan didn’t doubt that one of those pricks had probably broken or at least bruised a couple of the poor kid’s ribs.

 

“I already have Changbin hyung and Woojin hyung nagging me. I don’t need it from you too,” Jisung commented.

 

Chan grinned at the boy before continuing. “Listen, I think that we got off on the wrong foot. I mean, it was mostly your fault that we started off that way but I’m willing to put this little fued we have going behind us. What do you think about that?”

 

Jisung looked at him in mock horror. “And give up my excuse to be an asshole to you? Who would be the butt of my jokes? Who would I roll my eyes at when they ask a stupid question? Who would I make derisive comments towards if we didn’t keep this quarrel going?” Jisung finished his theatrical speech with the flailing of his arms before glancing at Chan again who looked at him questioningly, almost as if asking him why he had to be so dramatic even when injured.

 

“You did good today, hyung. I know it was your first time in a fight and this is all still very new to you but you’ll get used to it very quickly, I have faith in that. Just know that even though this is supposed to be a game, the risks here are very real. You don’t have a chance to think half of the time. You’ve just got to trust your instincts. Sometimes-” Jisung gestured to his face “-your instincts don’t turn out to be entirely accurate and you end up getting your ass kicked.”

 

Chan chortled loudly at Jisung’s comment before realising that it was late at night as Jisung shushed him while laughing himself. Woojin may have been right. Once you got to know Jisung, he really was a good kid.

 

“Ah, I guess I should thank you for saving me earlier. My head was spinning so much I didn’t notice the arrow coming for me, so thanks for pushing me out of the way but damn, you could have been a little gentler about it.”

 

“Is this your first time thanking someone? You could have just shown your appreciation and left it at that but no, you had to go and add on something negative at the end.” Chan shook his head disapprovingly at the younger boy but grinned slightly as Jisung looked like he was going to retort before biting his lip to stop himself.

 

“Thank you for coming to help me too, Jisung. You could have gone to fight with one of the others but you came to help the newbie instead and I’m grateful for that because I don’t know how I would have handled it without you.” Jisung gagged at Chan’s sentimentality as the older boy threw his pillow towards the Thief who caught it before it hit him with a devilish cackle.

 

After their laughter had died down, Jisung yawned loudly and Chan followed suit. “I think I need to fall unconscious for about three days to get back to normal,” Jisung claimed as he closed his eyes.

 

“Then quickly go to sleep and stop annoying me.”

 

“I may just stay awake out of spite now!” Jisung whispered loudly. “Good night, hyung.”

 

“Good night, Jisungie. Sleep well.” Jisung smiled at the nickname he was only used to hearing from Woojin and Changbin. He didn’t really mind at all that Chan was now using it now too. It took merely seconds for Jisung to drift off while Chan stayed awake for a while longer.

 

He had finally realised what Woojin meant when he said they wanted to return home because this place was far too dangerous. Chan had witnessed first hand the kind peril that they could encounter within Phantasm and that danger was simply the result of humans attacking them. The monsters present in this world were probably another story all together. Looking at Jisung curled up across from him, he became very aware that he did not want to lose any of the boys he had met that he now considered his friends. He wouldn’t let something like this happen to them again if he could help it. Chan stared at the flecked ceiling. He hoped that Felix would make it through to see tomorrow. Though he didn’t know the young bandit’s stories, he felt that what happened to both of them today was more than unfair. He would just have to wait and see along with the rest of them.

 

Phantasm was really something else, Chan thought, and it was not something to be taken lightly. Jisung’s quiet snores told Chan that it was time to sleep. He didn’t think that he would ever experience a boring day as long as he was inside the game but he wasn’t sure that it was such a good thing. He closed his eyes and hoped for a better tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

 

Changbin moved his hand to the sleeping boy’s forehead. His temperature seemed to be a little higher than it would typically be but Changbin would have been surprised if it had gone back to normal already. He had been shot after all. Changbin surveyed the boy’s features and noticed that his face was adorned with numerous freckles that reminded him of stars decorating the sky but they were quickly being distorted by the tears now running down his face. Felix began to whimper in his sleep as Changbin sat down beside the boy and rubbed comforting circles into his hand as he shushed him. Felix’s brow wrinkled in distress and the Medic wondered what it was that he could be dreaming about. As Changbin held his hand, he allowed even more of his healing energy to flow towards the boy even though his own body was already drained. This seemed to do the trick as Felix’s soft cries slowly came to a halt and he was once again sleeping peacefully.

 

Changbin wasn’t quite sure what it was, he hadn’t even interacted with the boy, but he felt that he wanted to protect Felix. Maybe it was because he looked so helpless in front of him right now or perhaps it was seeing him tremble with such ferocity as the barrel of a gun was pointed at him earlier. When Felix’s boss had shot him, feelings of shock and wrath had attacked Changbin’s body. He was getting ready to charge towards the man who had hurt Felix but they had managed to flee before Changbin could act. Hyunjin’s screams towards him only amplified his want to help the boys. When he went to kneel beside Felix to stop the bleeding, he had brushed off of Hyunjin and could feel just how bad the other had been trembling. He obviously cared greatly for Felix just as he did for Jisung, Woojin and Chan. There was something in him that couldn’t leave the boys to fend for themselves.

 

Changbin moved away from Felix and positioned himself on his own bed. He hadn’t planned on sleeping as he wanted to keep watching over Felix to make sure nothing happened to him during the night. However, he had used so much energy during the day, between fighting off the bandits and healing the pretty massive injury that Felix had endured that he couldn’t help it when his eyes suddenly began to close and he drifted from reality.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the hits, kudos and all of the wonderful comments.  
> If anyone wishes to contact me about anything, my tumblr is @ stray-anpanman!


	4. In the end, you have to choose whether or not to trust someone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter for you guys. Thank you all so much for 570 hits and 80 kudos. Hope you enjoy!

His chest felt like it was on fire. Felix scrunched up his nose in discomfort as he tried to move his body which hurt more than it probably should have. He slowly opened his eyes to see light flooding in through the window. The intensity of the brightness caused his brow to crease and he managed to finally sit himself up in the bed. His hand automatically reached up to his chest where the pain was emanating from and his fingers met with rough bandages. Felix panicked slightly as his eyes moved to his injury. His whole chest was covered in gauze which Felix assumed was hiding a wound that he could not recollect.

 

Once he had become more than slightly confused at the condition of his own body, he scanned the room for answers. His eyes passed over Hyunjin sleeping on the bed opposite him as he surveyed the room but once Felix focused in on the boy, he realised that it wasn’t his best friend at all. Instead, one of the boys that had been in the group they had attacked was dozing on the bed. Felix panicked state became heightened when he realised who he was. Why was he sharing a room with someone who they had attacked? Did their group lose the fight? Had they taken Felix as a hostage? Where was Hyunjin? He wouldn’t have let them take him, right? Felix’s head swam with far too many questions and he felt that he was having a full on panic attack.

 

Felix slowly slipped off of the bed though doing so caused his whole body to scream with pain. He eyed his whip and carefully reached to grab it in the hopes of not waking the sleeping boy. Grasping his blood stained, ripped shirt from the dresser, Felix quickly slid it over his head and once he had gathered his belongings, quietly made his way out of the room. Fortunately, he had not disturbed the other boy who looked, in Felix’s opinion, absolutely exhausted as he snored quietly. He opened the door to the bedroom with extreme caution and carefully closed it behind him. Felix thought he had managed to escape successfully but as soon as he exited the room, he collided with somebody.

 

“Hey man, watch where you’re- oh, you’re awake already? Welcome back to the world of the living!”

 

Felix became alarmed once again as another one of the boys he had fought with earlier was now standing in front of him. Felix recognised him as the guy that his group had captured and beaten though Felix had taken no part in that. He and Hyunjin were against harming innocent people though most of their group were not of the same opinion. His face was covered in bruises which Felix thought probably hurt like hell. Strangely, the boy was grinning at him which made Felix extremely uncomfortable and he tried to turn and run but his arm was grabbed by the other boy.

 

“Hey, relax. I’m not going to hurt you. Calm down. Hey!”

 

“No! Let me go! LET ME GO!”

 

* * *

 

 

 

Hyunjin was sleeping peacefully when he heard the most beautiful voice. The sound felt like it was relaxing his entire body and making him feel reinvigorated. The sweet vocalisation continued as Hyunjin kept listening to the meaningful lyrics.

 

_We can rest but it’s still too early,_

_We need to rest but it’s still so far away,_

_The path we must go on,_

_Even though we can’t see the end, we must go to the end._

_On this path without a map,_

_It’s a maze, don’t wanna look back,_

_Only looking forward as we run,_

_Shining through the darkness._

 

As much as Hyunjin didn’t want to wake, he wanted to see who was singing so he slowly forced his eyes open to identify the owner of the voice. His eyes fell upon a young man sitting on the bed opposite to his. He hadn’t noticed that Hyunjin had woken as his eyes were closed and he continued to sing.

 

_Don’t know any other way,_

_Only looked at one place for a long time,_

_So where do you want me to go?_

_Look at the night sky, look at the stars,_

_It’s like us, shining brighter in the darkness._

 

The singer slowly awakened from his trance as he finished the song and his gaze immediately flew to Hyunjin who stared back at him. A wide grin spread across his face which turned his eyes into crescents. Hyunjin couldn’t help but return a small smile to the young man.

 

“You’re awake? I’m glad. You collapsed so suddenly yesterday that we were all a bit worried,” the blond man explained to Hyunjin who was still a bit dazed after waking up.

 

“You were with the group we attacked yesterday, right?” Hyunjin asked, voice laced with care.

 

The man nodded before he introduced himself. “My name is Woojin. I’m pretty sure I remember your name being Hyunjin, right?” Hyunjin bowed his head to show that he was correct.

 

“Did my singing wake you? Sorry, I was trying to see if I could help you out a bit. It’s actually a spell I learned a while ago. Apparently it’s supposed to help re-energize you but it only works on others and not myself so I don’t know if it’s effective or not. Do you feel any better?”

 

Hyunjin understood why he felt the way he did. Woojin’s singing had definitely made a difference. He felt like a new person since all of the fatigue that had built up in his body had suddenly disappeared. The soft smile that formed on Hyunjin’s face indicated to the musician that his magic had done its job and Woojin chuckled in response.

 

However, Hyunjin’s whole body froze when he realised why he was sharing a room with the other. They had attacked Woojin’s group. They had fought. They had lost. They had been scolded. Their leader was shouting at Felix and then-

 

Hyunjin’s blankets fell to the floor as he scrambled out of bed before shouting at Woojin. “Felix! Felix, where is he? Is he alright? He made it through the night, right?”

 

Before Woojin could compose himself and reply to the worried boy, they heard shouts coming from the hallway.

  
“No! Let me go! LET ME GO!”

 

Hyunjin would know that deep voice anywhere and recognised that it belonged to Felix. He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding in and relaxed slightly before bolting towards his friend’s voice with Woojin following closely behind him. Hyunjin opened the bedroom door to see Felix being manhandled by another one of the boys from Woojin’s group. Felix was struggling so much trying to escape that he hadn’t noticed Hyunjin saunter over to them.

 

“Hey, Woojin hyung. You want to try and help me out here? I’m-” Jisung let out a small grunt as Felix gave a particularly strong tug to try and break free from Jisung’s grasp. The Thief was surprised at how much energy the boy had seeing as yesterday he had been a bleeding mess on the ground.

 

Hyunjin came up behind Jisung and tried to gently grab Felix to calm him and let him know he wasn’t in any danger; these boys had actually saved his life yesterday.

 

“Hey, Lix, calm down. Felix, look at me. It’s Hyunjin. Relax!” Hyunjin placed his hands on Felix’s shoulders to try and face the panicked boy towards him. Once Felix’s eyes met Hyunjin’s, he stopped completely and his eyes started to water with relief.

 

“Jinnie? Where are-” Felix was cut off as Hyunjin enveloped him in a hug and pushed the younger’s head into his shoulder which drew a small groan of pain from Felix as Hyunjin realised he was probably putting pressure on his fresh wound. He quickly detached from Felix and smiled at the boy before he started giggling happily. Felix looked slightly confused at Hyunjin’s sudden laughter as he thought he might be descending into madness. The two boys were so caught up in the moment that they hadn’t noticed Chan and Changbin join the others in the hallway.

 

Hyunjin noted the way Felix’s eyes suddenly became wide as he stared at the boys situated behind him. He placed an arm around Felix’s shoulders as a form of comfort before he tugged the younger down with him into a bowing position. The others looked at them with slight confusion before the boys straightened themselves up again as Felix suddenly turned to Hyunjin.

 

“Why the hell are we bowing to these guys?” Hyunjin hit the boys back in frustration which once again caused Felix to yelp at the pain from his chest. Hyunjin quickly apologised before continuing.

  
“We’re bowing to them because they saved your life yesterday. Do remember what happened? Do you remember being...shot?” Felix frowned at Hyunjin, his eyes searching the others for answers before Felix’s features suddenly became terrified as he seemed to recollect yesterday’s events. He started to panic again before Hyunjin patted his shoulders and told him to breathe.

 

“Oh god, I screwed up, didn’t I? The boss was furious. I remember him pointing his gun at me but that’s it. Is he mad? What’s he going to do to us?” Felix trembled, voice full of alarm.

 

Hyunjin grimaced at the thought of his old leader and rubbed circles into Felix’s back. “He left us Lix. He shot you and told me that he didn’t need us anymore. He pissed off with the rest of the group and left you to die saying that we were a liability. This guy-” Hyunjin pointed towards Changbin who smiled softly once Felix looked at him “-he saved you. He’s a Medic. He spent over thirty minutes healing you and cleaning your wound. You owe him your life.”

 

Felix kept his eyes fixed on the Medic who Hyunjin had talked about. He was the one who was in the room with him earlier and Felix now realised that he had probably been watching over him and had fallen asleep. He had no doubt that it required an enormous amount of energy to heal a gunshot wound which is why he probably looked so tired. Felix looked away, slightly embarrassed at the way he had treated the other boys before he then turned to Changbin and bowed his head.

 

“T-thank you for saving me. I guess I wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for you.” Felix maintained eye contact with the ground instead of Changbin who was now giggling at the flustered boy.

 

“Don’t mention it. You gave all of us quite a scare yesterday, especially your friend over here.” Changbin tilted his head towards Hyunjin who bit his lip awkwardly.

 

“How about we head into town and get something for breakfast? I’m sure you guys are probably starving. We can properly introduce ourselves then, alright?” Chan suggested. The other boys nodded in agreement as they made their way down the staircase.

 

The group slowly walked down a street that was lined with different types of eateries as the aromas stemming from the shops made their stomachs growl. They stopped beside a marble building that offered freshly baked bread, cake and pastries and also a place to eat them inside. All of them lined up one by one and ordered an abundance of food such as croissants, pies and buns and Woojin commented that they probably bought more than needed but when all of the food had disappeared from the table, it seemed Woojin’s worries weren’t needed.

 

The colour had started to return to Felix’s face which Changbin was relieved about as it seemed that the boy was healing well. Jisung let out a content sigh as he hit his stomach to indicate that he was full. Chan chuckled at the action before turning his attention to Hyunjin.

 

“So, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourselves? Besides the fact that you used to be part of a gang of bandits that is,” Chan joked though both boys looked extremely embarrassed by the comment.  

 

“It seems that you already know our names. I’m Hwang Hyunjin and this is Lee Felix.” Felix bowed his head towards the group but had his gaze fixed on Changbin which made the Medic feel a little flushed though he wasn’t quite sure why.

 

“Yes, you’re right. We were a part of a group of bandits but it was out of necessity more than anything else. I met Felix a couple of months ago when we...were both trying to steal food from the same place.” Hyunjin’s eyes fell to his lap as he became very aware of the other boy’s stares.

 

“We were struggling to make ends meet. Hyunjin was an apprentice at a local Alchemist’s shop because that’s what he is too,” Felix commented.

 

“An Alchemist. I was right then,” Woojin interjected. “You can mix and combine different items and substances to create bombs and potions. You have one hell of a throwing arm too. All of the bombs you used against us were right on target.”

 

Hyunjin laughed. “That’s because my grandfather used to teach me how to play baseball. It’s also why I think I’m an Alchemist. He was a scientist and I used to help him in his lab before-” Hyunjin came to an abrupt halt; his eyes glazing over as if recalling a painful memory. Felix noticed this immediately and took over the conversation in his place.

 

“Anyways, he was an apprentice but after seeing all of the incredible creations that Hyunjin could make, his master became jealous that he was so much better than he would ever be. He took credit for his creations and kicked him out of his shop telling all of the other Alchemists of the region that Hyunjin had tried to steal from him so that nobody else would hire him and realise that what he was selling actually belonged to Hyunjin.” Felix looked like he was getting angrier by the second before Hyunjin patted his head trying to calm him down.

 

“It’s ok, Lix. I’m over it. It’s just that when nobody is willing to hire you, it becomes awfully hard to make a living and earn money!” Hyunjin joked slightly though Woojin could see a glint of sadness in his eyes.

 

“As for me, I have a bit of trouble using my class’ special abilities so I don’t really have anything to offer potential employers.” Felix looked slightly uncomfortable when he said this which made the others think that they shouldn’t push him for a reason. Well, most of them.

 

“Why can’t you use your class’ special abilities?” Jisung inquired which caused everyone to glare at the boy and his lack of tact as Felix smiled wistfully and began to continue his explanation before Hyunjin stopped him.

 

“It’s ok, Jinnie. They saved my life. They can hear the reason why I’m such a coward.” Hyunjin looked at Felix disapprovingly as he called himself what their boss had referred to him as a day earlier.

 

“I was assigned the class of Beast Master,” Felix said shyly.

 

Jisung’s face lit up immediately. “Oh my god! That’s so awesome! You can summon different animals to come and fight by your side during battles? That is so incredibly cool! What kinds of beasts can you control?”

 

Felix inhaled deeply. “I don’t know.”

 

Jisung, as well as the others, frowned at the young boy. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

 

“I-I don’t know because I have a...”

 

Jisung placed his hand to cup his ear as Felix had continued his sentence but had mumbled so lowly that the Thief couldn’t make out what he had said. “You have a what?”

  
  
“He said that he has a phobia of animals! He can’t summon any beasts to come and help him because he’s afraid that he won’t be able to control them and they might turn on him!” Hyunjin replied loudly towards Jisung who looked slightly taken aback as he nodded his head to show Hyunjin that he understood.

 

“When I was younger, I used to walk home from school everyday by myself. I used to live in Australia before my parents moved to Seoul because of work.” Chan’s head shot up as Felix said this but he allowed the younger to keep speaking.

 

“Everyday was pretty uneventful except for the day my phobia began. I was about ten years old at the time but I can remember it like it was yesterday. I had to stay later at school because of some extracurricular activities so by the time I left, it was starting to get dark out. My parents were still working and told me to stay at the school until they could collect me but I told them that I would be fine walking home like I did everyday even if it was a little later than usual.” Felix looked uncomfortable sharing his childhood memory but Hyunjin patted his leg to assure him that nobody was going to make fun of him as he continued.  

 

“So, on my way home, I took a little detour down a small alleyway that I usually wouldn’t take but it would get me home that little bit faster than usual. Probably wasn’t the best idea in the darkness but I was a stupid kid and didn’t think about what might possibly happen. Upon walking down the narrow alley, a rather large dog emerged from out of nowhere. I always loved dogs when I was younger but straight away I could tell I was in trouble. It ran towards me immediately and grabbed onto my leg with its teeth and the pain was unimaginable. I still have scars right here.” Felix lifted his pants leg to reveal multiple little red marks which blemished his pale skin.

 

“I was screaming so much but nobody seemed to hear me or if they did, they didn’t come to help. I couldn’t take it anymore and had to kick it off of me quite forcefully before it eventually ran away with its tail between its legs.” Chan couldn’t help but notice the coincidental similarities between Felix’s childhood story and his first day within Phantasm. He knew pretty much what it was like to go through something like this.

 

“I had to pull myself up and limp all the way home. My parents were actually there before me and they had become so worried that they were about to send out a search party but when I came through the door, they were both relieved and horrified. They took me straight to the emergency room and I had to undergo a small surgery while staying in the hospital for a couple of days. They asked me what it was that injured me but I was too traumatised to remember at the time. It took months before I could actually talk about it.” Felix was looking more and more agitated as he recalled the story.

 

“I realised very quickly once I had healed up that I had developed a fear of animals, especially if they were dogs. When I even saw one on the street at home, I’d have a panic attack and start screaming. Though my parents moved to Korea due to work, they thought it would be a good idea to separate me from where my trauma stemmed from. However, it didn’t do much good. I’m still terrified of most animals because I know what they’re capable of. I’ve tried a couple of times to overcome such a stupid fear but my chest gets tight and I start to relive the pain I felt that day, both physically and mentally. I realise not all animals are savage like the one I encountered but the little voice in the back of my head just won’t allow me to get over this so easily. Then I get stuck in this damn game and they give me the class of Beast Master? How sick and twisted are these bastards?” An annoyed scowl spread over Felix’s face as he thought about the irony of his situation.

 

“I know you can control an array of different beasts and monsters and I’ve even been told that strong Beast Masters can even summon mythical creatures like dragons but I just don’t think that I could control them so I’ve never tried to in case they don’t recognise me as their master and attack me instead.” Felix finished his explanation with the expectation of laughter from the other boys but he was met with an understanding silence. When he glanced at the others, each and everyone of them, including Hyunjin, wore a sympathetic smile on their face. It was then and there that Felix knew he could probably trust these boys when they hadn’t laughed at one of his most distressing secrets.

 

“So, since I was being shunned by all of the Alchemists in the region and Felix didn’t have any marketable skills because of his phobia, we had to result to stealing to survive. We aren’t some common thieves. We know it’s wrong take what isn’t ours but we didn’t have much of a choice.”

 

Hyunjin didn’t notice Jisung narrowing his eyes at him at the mention of thieves being common and basically insulting his class. Changbin laughed loudly at his friend’s scowl which Felix looked surprised at. He began to think that Medic had a cute laugh but quickly shook his head at the surprising thought that had crept up on him.

 

“We stuck together through the hard times and that’s when we came across Seunghyun and his group of thugs. They were recruiting new members in the local tavern and were promising food, shelter and a small income and the state we were in, we really couldn’t say no to something like that; no matter how much we disagreed with their methods of obtaining money. So we joined and travelled with them.” Hyunjin became slightly annoyed as he thought about what they had to endure simply so that they could survive within the game.

 

“Everytime the group would strike unsuspecting people, Felix and I couldn’t bring ourselves to kill innocent civilians. At the very most, we would knock them out so they couldn’t fight back and possibly end up getting killed by the others. Once they were incapacitated, we would loot their belongings before taking off. It made us hate ourselves everytime we took part in it and on a number of occasions, we actually tried to leave but Seunghyun said that we owed him for taking us in and keeping us alive. I guess in the end though, we were too much trouble for him and disappointed him too many times.” Hyunjin became frustrated as he thought back to Felix getting shot and dragged his hand through his raven hair.

 

“And I guess that pretty much brings you up to speed on our stories. I don’t know if there’s much else we have to tell you,” Felix declared while Hyunjin smiled beside him.

 

Chan, Woojin, Changbin and Jisung all looked like they had just been through a roller coaster of emotions. It seemed like these two boys had been through quite a lot in their short amount of time here. Once they had finished their story, Chan took the opportunity to question Felix.

 

“Hey Felix, you said you were from Australia originally? Where abouts?”

 

“Huh? Oh I’m from Sydney.”  

 

“No way! So am I! I moved to Korea when I was ten with my family but I come from Sydney too.” Felix eyes suddenly lit up and he scooted over to sit beside Chan leaving Hyunjin looking slightly shocked that his best friend had suddenly abandoned him for someone else. Woojin laughed at the unamused look on the boys face.

 

“Don’t worry Hyunjinnie. Felix will get bored of Chan eventually. He’s not all that interesting.”

 

Chan turned towards the older with a surprised and slightly hurt look on his face to which Woojin burst out laughing. Changbin and Jisung chuckled along with their hyung which made Hyunjin soften and giggle too.

 

Woojin went onto explain to the boys about their classes and the reasons behind them though he mentioned that Chan still wasn’t quite sure why he was a Knight and that Jisung didn’t feel comfortable in revealing the reason that he was a Thief just yet; though Changbin and Woojin already knew most of his story. The boys sat and chatted together for a couple of hours, sharing stories and laughter before the owner of the store started to glare at them for taking up so much space and starting to make a little too much noise. The group gave small apologies before they departed which the owner accepted with a small grin.

 

It was just past midday when they left and they gathered outside of the shop. Hyunjin and Felix looked slightly nervous as they thought about what they should do next now that there livelihood had been all but thrown out the window. Changbin eyed the boys before speaking.

 

“Felix, I don’t think I feel particularly comfortable in letting you leave just yet. I know you may feel alright but I’d like to take another couple of days at least to make sure you’re healing properly.”

 

Felix looked a little shocked at Changbin’s suggestion. He did feel fine, especially after the time that the group had just spent together but he wasn’t going to say no to staying with them for a little longer. He wanted to spend more time with all of them, especially Changbin. Felix smiled widely which made Changbin’s breath catch in his throat.

 

“Ok, I don’t have a problem with staying with you guys for a few more days. Unless Hyunjin has other plans.” Felix turned to Hyunjin who was already furiously shaking his head to show that he didn’t want to leave the group either.

 

Chan and Woojin looked at each other knowingly and thought that they might need to have a conversation with Changbin and Jisung later to discuss potentially letting the two boys join their group. They had already grown attached to them and after hearing their story, Woojin definitely didn’t want to let them go back to having to steal food in order to survive.

 

“Listen, we should stay in town at least until tomorrow and Changbin can make sure Felix is up to scratch before we make any other plans, alright?” Woojin advised.

 

Everyone approved of the decision with Felix and Hyunjin looking at each other with hope in their eyes. Felix mentioned that he felt a little tired so Hyunjin and Changbin suggested that they head back to the inn to rest for a while. Chan, Woojin and Jisung told the others that they would go ahead and survey the town a little to see if they could gather any useful information. The group was always looking for ways to improve themselves so that they could accomplish their final goal of escaping Phantasm and even in towns as small as this, there could be the slightest hint which could be of use to them.

 

* * *

 

 

Woojin and Chan walked together down a side road of the town while Jisung was hopping from store to store inspecting all of their wares as Chan thought he looked like a kid in a sweet shop. After the incident with the bandits, Woojin didn’t want Jisung going ahead without them or out of his line of sight, so he called to him everytime he got a little too far away for his liking. Jisung understood why Woojin was so unnerved by his absence so he calmed himself and started to walk slowly beside Chan.

 

“So, Jisungie, what do you think about Hyunjin and Felix?” Woojin encouraged.

 

“What do I think about them? They seem cool and it’s nice to have people the same age as me around. I think that I’d get along pretty well with them. Why?”

 

“What would you think if we asked them to travel with us?”

 

Jisung tilted his head and thought for a couple of seconds. “I’d be fine with that, even though their background is a little sketchy, I think they’re decent people. When I was captured by the bandits, I did actually hear Hyunjin telling the guys beating me that I had been put through enough, though I didn’t know that’s who he was at the time. He seems like a compassionate person.” Woojin flinched at the mention of Jisung being hurt which made Chan squeeze his hand to comfort him.

 

“So yeah, I wouldn’t have a problem if they wanted to travel with us. I know it would make Changbin hyung happy too.”

 

Woojin and Chan stopped to turn and look at the young Thief, their brows creased in confusion. “How do you know that? Did you guys already have this discussion?” Chan asked.

 

Jisung had to giggle at their expressions. “What? No, I didn’t discuss this with Changbin hyung but come on, you guys must have noticed it too.”

 

Woojin and Chan glanced at each other, still none the wiser as to what Jisung was talking about. The younger scoffed in disbelief as his hyungs were so unbelievably dense.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Did you seriously not see the way Changbin hyung was looking at Felix? Or the fact that he blushed everytime Felix looked at him? You guys are so blind!” Jisung mocked before starting to walk again.

 

Woojin let out a small “ah” in understanding while Chan exhaled with a small laugh. They hadn’t noticed anything but obviously Jisung had. They thought back to their conversation in the bakery and did recall Changbin staring at the boy a lot. The fact that Changbin had been the one to suggest Felix and Hyunjin stay with them for a few more days was unlike the young Medic. Woojin was sure that Felix was healed to an acceptable standard and would be able to continue on his own but Changbin had wanted him to stay. Also, Changbin was usually the first one to want to explore the new towns they visited but yet he had volunteered to go back to the inn with Felix and Hyunjin instead of accompanying them to investigate the town. Jisung turned back to smile at his hyungs who now nodded in understanding.

 

Woojin placed his arm around Chan’s shoulders as they began walking again. Woojin had just come to the realisation of Changbin’s little crush yet he was so oblivious to the blush spreading across Chan’s face from the close contact he made with the younger. Since Jisung was a Thief, his class allowed him to possess a great ability of perception so, even if Woojin hadn’t realised that Chan became more flustered at the sudden closeness between the two, Jisung certainly had. He eyed Chan knowingly while giving him a wide smile which made Chan glare at the boy.

 

“Hey, Woojin hyung. Do you want to hear one of Channie hyung’s really big secrets?” Jisung chimed.

 

Woojin looked slightly confused but before he could respond, Chan detached himself from the older boy and bolted towards Jisung with a murderous look on his face. This caused Jisung to scream and run away from the enraged boy while laughing maniacally. Woojin called out to them not get too far ahead but his calls fell on deaf ears and he was forced to sprint after them. He was getting too old for this.

 

* * *

 

Hyunjin carefully closed the door to the bedroom that Felix was now sleeping in. He turned his back to the wall and slowly slid down to the ground. He hadn’t been alone since he found out the Felix was going to live and a wave of relief suddenly engulfed his head as he began to tremble slightly at the thought that he almost lost his best friend. No, Felix was like a brother to him at this stage and he had let something like that happen to him. What kind of a friend was he? He was supposed to protect Felix but he allowed his former boss to shoot him right in front of him. Tears began to break from the corner of the Alchemist’s eyes as quiet sobs escaped his lips. He didn’t know why he was crying, Felix was safe. Hyunjin wondered if they were tears of relief or of self loathing. He was the one who suggested that they join the gang of bandits and if he hadn’t, Felix would never have been put in that position. It was his fault that Felix was hurt just as it had been his fault his grandfather was injured too. Why was he so useless?

 

“Hyunjin, are you alright?”   

 

Hyunjin jumped at Changbin’s voice as he hadn’t heard the other approach and quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeves before standing up and smiling.

 

“Yeah hyung, I’m all good.” Changbin wasn’t stupid. It was more than obvious that Hyunjin had been crying but if Hyunjin had tried to hide it, maybe he didn’t want Changbin to know why. The Medic rubbed the boy’s arm.

 

“You did well yesterday Hyunjin. Transferring energy isn’t an easy task, especially for someone who isn’t magically inclined. I could sense how badly you wanted to save Felix. He’s very lucky to have a friend like you.”

 

Changbin’s words seemed to hit Hyunjin pretty hard as tears sprung from the boy’s eyes once again. He quickly hid his face with his arm as Changbin became increasingly worried and tried to pry the boy’s arm away from his eyes.

 

“He’s lucky to have met someone like you, hyung. I’m the one who put him in that position. He was hurt because of my carelessness. What would have happened if there wasn’t a Medic in your group? What would have happened if you weren’t there? He would have died in my arms on the side of the road and I would have been completely powerless to stop it. I should have protected him. I should be stronger but I’m just…” Hyunjin’s words became incomprehensible as he whimpered, still covering his face.

 

Changbin felt an overwhelming sense of pity for the boy as he had been in his position so many times. When people had been brought to him to be healed but he was too weak and couldn’t save them. When Jisung had been beaten by the bandits, Changbin could only stand and stare at his friend as he was held hostage by the group of thugs. No matter how confident he felt in his abilities, Changbin still had times he doubted himself. He still had times when he blamed himself for things he had no control over. He still had times when he hated himself when he couldn’t help others. Changbin knew how Hyunjin felt all too well so he quietly placed his hands on Hyunjin’s shoulders as the younger looked up at him with a tear stained face.

 

“Don’t you ever think that what happened to Felix was your fault. Do you hear me? You are the one who stayed with him all of this time. You are the one who begged us for help. You are the one who gave me your strength to save him. So don’t you dare think that you’re useless. You care about your friend and I know he thinks the same of you, so please don’t blame yourself Hyunjin. It doesn’t do anyone any good and I know Felix would be furious if he knew that’s what you were thinking about yourself. Alright?” Changbin patted Hyunjin’s shoulders as if asking for a response.

 

Hyunjin rubbed his eyes and chuckled slightly at Changbin’s kind words towards him while nodding his head to show that he understood and thanked him. The sound of a door opening made both boys spin around to face a very sleepy looking Felix with a very messy bed head.

 

“Is everything alright? I thought I heard someone crying,” Felix yawned while rubbing his eyes. Changbin couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s dozy look as Hyunjin giggled slightly at the state of Felix’s hair.

 

Before either could reply, the others returned from surveying the town. Woojin and Chan slowly came up the stairs, looking slightly out of breath as Jisung sprung towards Changbin and wrapped his arms around the older boy’s neck.

 

“Hyung, the amount of places you can eat in this town is incredible! We found this one place where they have over fifty flavours of ice cream. Fifty! We have to go there! Woojin hyung said that we shouldn’t go without you guys so I managed to drag myself away from such a heavenly place but we can go there later, right?” Jisung made puppy eyes towards Changbin who looked away quickly so as not to be swayed by the other’s cute gaze. Hyunjin couldn’t help thinking that the relationship between Jisung and Changbin was exceedingly similar to that of Felix and himself.

 

“You are going to cause me to become bankrupt, Han Jisung. All I do is spend money to feed you!” Changbin scolded.

 

“It’s alright though because you love me so much, right? You wouldn’t want it any other way.” Jisung puckered up his lips which caused Changbin to crinkle his nose in disgust. He suddenly became very aware of Felix’s gaze on him which made him quickly pull away from Jisung causing the young Thief to stumble and come crashing to the ground.

 

“You just patched up my injuries this morning, hyung. Do you want to make more work for yourself?” Jisung asked rubbing his nose which had bounced off of the floor.

 

Felix chuckled at the scene in front of him which caused Changbin to smile softly at the boy. Jisung looked towards Woojin and Chan before gesturing towards Changbin as if to say ‘See? I told you so.’

 

Changbin quickly came back to the present. “So, did you guys find out anything? Any information?”

 

“Nothing with regards to Phantasm itself or who might be running it but we did hear a rather unsettling piece of news from the owner of the bookshop in the middle of town. Apparently, a man was spotted around this region a couple of days ago and the guards here have identified him as the one who was behind the murder of the Park family.”

 

Everybody in the group froze except for Chan who looked at the others with slight concern as they had reacted so suddenly.

 

“Wait, who is this guy? Who were the Park family?” Chan asked carefully.

 

“He goes by the name of Gyujin and he’s got a pretty hefty bounty on his head. Nobody really knows anything about him except his first name and the fact that he has a malicious reputation. The Park family were one of the first groups within Phantasm. They had actually been together before they entered this world or at least that’s what everyone hears. It’s extremely rare for groups to come into the game together. More often than not, people come in on their own, like everyone here. Rumour has it that somebody entered the Park residence in Morthan, which is one of the biggest cities within Phantasm and savagely murdered the mother, father and two young children who lived in the house. The guards think it was a burglary gone wrong but since the murders were so violent, there seemed to be some sort of personal motive behind it. He was captured after the incident but escaped shortly afterwards and a connection between him and the family was never put together. Apparently, he has a very distinct scar across his right eye and has been left blind by the injury which is how the guards here identified him. Just in case, we will have to remain extra vigilant and look out for each other even more than we already do. Alright?” Woojin warned them with a serious look in his eyes.

 

Everyone in the group nodded their heads, all with a slightly terrified look in their eyes. Chan’s brow creased with worry and when he looked at the others, he couldn’t help but notice the way Jisung’s breathing had become rather uneven. The boy bit his lip and Chan could see his hands were trembling though he quickly tried to hide them in his sleeves when he noticed his hyung’s gaze fixed on him. The Thief smiled brightly at Chan but the older knew that the grin on Jisung’s face was fake. He was worried about something and Chan could tell it wasn’t in the same kind of way the others were.

 

“After that rather unnerving piece of news, I think we could all do with spending a little more time together. Now that Felix is awake, I think Jisung is going to cry if we don’t take you guys back to that ice cream shop. Why don’t we head there now?” Woojin clapped his hands together with his suggestion. Jisung’s expression had returned to normal as he jumped up and pumped his fist in the air before grabbing Hyunjin and Felix, linking his arms with both who were now on either side of him. All three of them headed towards the exit with smiles on their faces as their hyungs looked on and laughed. Changbin was right though. By the end of the night, he was going to be well and truly broke.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When they returned to the inn, they decided that they would switch roommates for the night as Hyunjin asked if it would be alright if he stayed with Felix. He promised Changbin that he would make sure to watch over him which the Medic didn’t doubt. They probably had a lot to discuss and catch up on anyways. Jisung grabbed onto Changbin’s arm before whispering in the boy’s ear which made a smile slowly creep onto his face.

 

“Jisung and I will share a room tonight too so, Woojin hyung, you’ll have to room with Chan hyung if that’s alright.” Chan stopped suddenly when he knew exactly what the two boys were up to. He looked over to see Jisung and Changbin raise their eyebrows suggestively towards him.  
  
“That’s fine with me. I can get to know Channie a little better then,” Woojin beamed. Chan was becoming more nervous at the thought of being alone with the other. He stared angrily at Changbin and Jisung as they walked backwards into the room they would share while Jisung gave Chan a thumbs up and Changbin gestured for him to go for it. He couldn’t believe these kids. He was going to kick their asses tomorrow.

 

All of the boys said goodnight as they entered their respective rooms. Woojin flopped down on his bed while Chan situated himself across from him. He could hear his heartbeat quicken before he hit his own chest as if he was telling it to stop reacting so much. Nothing was going to happen.

 

“Channie?” Chan looked up suddenly at Woojin who was smiling back at him. “It occurs to me that I really don’t know anything about you. I mean the you from the real world, not the one inside of the game. Maybe if you tell me a little bit about yourself, we can figure out why you were given the class you have.”

 

“About me? Oh, well, what would you like to know?” Chan inquired.

 

“Tell me anything you want. About your family or where you grew up. Stuff like that.”

 

“Well, my family is pretty normal. There’s my dad, my mom and my younger brother and sister. We lived in Australia for the first ten years of my life before we moved to Korea. I spent the next eleven years in Seoul. My parents moved back to Australia with my siblings a couple of years ago but I decided to stay put. Pretty ordinary, mundane life to be honest.” Chan concluded.

 

Woojin tilted his head. Those who were assigned the Knight class were all about helping those who needed it, those who were assumed to be weaker in the eyes of society. Sure, Chan might have been protective of his younger siblings but Woojin doubted that it would be enough to have that class given to him so he questioned further.

 

“There’s nothing there to really indicate why you’re a Knight. Anything else? What about where you work?”

 

“Ah, I technically work two jobs. The first is as a music producer. I haven’t done too much of that yet but I’m starting to really enjoy it. To be honest though, I spend most of my spare time at my other job which-” Chan cut himself off as he looked slightly embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of it sooner. Woojin raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

 

“I spend a lot of my spare time helping out in an orphanage.” Woojin looked at him with a deadpan expression. Had Chan seriously not realised that was why he was assigned the Knight class?  
  
“You work in an orphanage? Where you help little kids? Who have no families or homes to go to? You basically protect them and give them what they desire most: human interaction. You’re trying to tell me that the thought never crossed your mind that this was the reason that you’re a Knight?!” Woojin exclaimed.

 

Chan blushed at the Bard’s outburst. “I never thought of what I did as something spectacular. They advertised for a part time worker and I was looking for another job. It suited my schedule and when I worked there for a few days, I realised I loved spending time with the kids and the other workers there. I got to know them, played with them, learned their names, their likes and dislikes; I became attached to all of them. When one of them got adopted, we’d throw going away parties for them to celebrate that they were being welcomed into a new family. So, when they told me that they no longer needed me to work there, I volunteered there instead. I didn’t need to get paid because I never thought of it as work. I did it because I wanted to help these kids who had very little in their lives. I just- I didn’t think that it was that big of a deal,” Chan muttered quietly.

 

Woojin’s shocked expression at Chan’s absent mindedness suddenly turned to one of compassion. He didn’t think of the reason he was a Knight because he truly believed that he wasn’t doing anything special. He thought that he was just like everyone else going through life but he was so much more. Woojin realised how completely altruistic and empathetic Chan truly was. He really did encapsulate the characteristics of a Knight. Woojin sighed and felt slightly guilty for raising his voice at the younger.

 

“You really don’t realise how selfless you actually are, do you? You don’t think very much of yourself but you think the world of those around you.” Woojin smiled sadly at Chan who raised his head at the comment.

  
“I don't know. I guess,” Chan shrugged.

  
Woojin hopped off of his bed and strolled over to Chan before slowly placing his arms around him as Chan exhaled slowly and hugged the older boy back.

 

“You really are a good person, Bang Chan. I’m glad that we met and that you joined our group but try to think of yourself a little bit more.” Woojin pulled away from Chan while placing his hands on his upper arms. “You deserve to be happy too. I’ve noticed the way you take care of the others in the group. How you were so careful with Felix when you carried him all the way to the inn, how you constantly thank Changbin for the help that he gives you, the way you maturely patched things up with Jisung even though he was kind of the one at fault. I’m glad you treat the others in our group with such care and compassion but do try to be a little bit selfish sometimes. You’re worth so much more than you think.”

 

Chan’s ardent crush on the older boy seemed to be developing into something more at Woojin’s words. He thought back to when Woojin said that Bards could charm others with their voice but Chan thought that Woojin didn’t need to use his voice, he just needed to simply be himself. Chan smiled a little while Woojin did the same.

 

“We should probably sleep. We will have to discuss with Hyunjin and Felix if they want to travel with us tomorrow. I hope they will, they seem like good kids,” Woojin commented.

 

“All we did was explore and eat today and I’m still exhausted,” Chan yawned.

 

“Go to sleep, Channie. I’ll see you in the morning.”

 

The boys turned the lights off and snuggled comfortably into their blankets. Both boys stared at each other in the darkness with fond smiles on their faces and a new feeling blooming in their chests.

 

* * *

 

Changbin was so exhausted and Jisung was snoring so loudly that neither of the boys woke when the window to their room was jimmied open. The hinges creaked slightly as the window opened inwards towards the room they were sleeping in. A shadow entered their bedroom and silently made its way over to Jisung’s bed. The young Thief had his blankets pulled over his head and was completely knocked out. The figure slowly drew a knife from their pocket and positioned themselves over Jisung.

 

As if he felt the presence, Jisung’s eyes slowly opened as he pulled down the blankets and when he saw an individual so close to him, he went to scream before a hand was quickly placed over his mouth. Jisung couldn’t make out the person’s face but could tell it was a young man. His hand was raised, adorned with his weapon, as if he meant to end Jisung’s life right then and there. The Thief’s eyes suddenly began to water as he could do absolutely nothing to protect himself. Changbin hadn’t woken at the presence of the man and Jisung couldn’t signal to him in anyway that his life was in danger. Tears began to stream down his cheeks as sobs tried to escape his mouth though the man’s hand was still covering it to prevent any noise from waking the other boy.

 

The intruder suddenly flinched and moved in closer to stare at Jisung who was still crying. The moonlight lit up the man’s face which was slightly obscured by his hood and Jisung could see he was wearing a mask that only left his hazel eyes visible but they were not the eyes of the person he had been expecting. The assailant used the hand holding his knife to place a finger to his mouth, signalling to Jisung not to scream. He removed his other hand from the Thief’s mouth and the young boy was too terrified to make any noise. The man began to speak in a whisper.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

What? The intruder was suddenly asking Jisung for his name? This had to be one of the weirdest murder attempts in history, Jisung thought. He was shaken from his deliriousness when the man asked him the same question again but with more urgency in his voice.

 

“H-Han Jisung. My n-name’s Han J-Jisung.” The young Thief couldn’t help but fall over his words as he was downright terrified at the situation he had been placed in.

 

“Shit, your aura is almost identical to his. Since it’s so similar, it means that you’re related to Gyujin, right?”

 

Jisung froze at the mention of the name, similar to how he had done earlier when Woojin had talked about him. The man began to glare at Jisung as if he was waiting for an answer and he slowly nodded his head as he continued to whisper.

 

“H-he’s my brother. I don’t know where he is though and frankly, I don’t want to,” Jisung answered.

 

The man cursed once again and Jisung suddenly became curious as to why this stranger was after Gyujin. He didn’t look like a regular guard who was searching for a dangerous criminal. Jisung thought back to what he had said about auras which only one certain class could see to identify their targets. He didn’t know where the bravery came from but he decided to ask a question.

 

“You’re a Tracker, right?”

 

The young man turned to scowl at Jisung who quickly shut his mouth again as he thought he had angered the other. Jisung exhaled with difficulty when his breath hitched in his chest as he thought back to the last time he saw his brother. He knew why Gyujin was in the area.

 

“He’s here because he’s looking for me.” Jisung had made the comment for himself but the intruder turned his head slightly when he heard the boy speak.

 

“I’m looking for that asshole. He needs to pay for what he’s done. You must know something that could point me in the right direction. You must have some clue as to where he is. If he’s here for you, I’m guessing you want your brother gone as much as I do.”

 

Before either of the boys could say anything else, a noise came from the opposite end of the room.

 

“Jisungie, is something wrong?” Changbin was beginning to sit up in his bed as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The noise from the conversation between the stranger and Jisung had obviously stirred him from his slumber.  

 

Jisung had turned to look at Changbin as he spoke so, when his eyes returned to the spot the intruder had been standing in, he was gone. Jisung’s eyes flew to the window which was still wide open after the would-be murderer had made his escape. He thanked his lucky stars that the young man had identified him as the wrong target. He began to shake uncontrollably as the weight of the situation he had been in suddenly hit him.

  
Changbin yawned loudly and repeated his question in case Jisung hadn’t heard him the first time.

 

“No hyung. Nothing’s wrong. Just had a nightmare. Don’t worry. Go back to sleep.” Changbin did as ordered and rolled over on his side before soft snores flowed from the boy in a matter of seconds leaving Jisung alone with his thoughts.

 

His brother was here. He was looking for him. Jisung had managed to escape once but he knew it wouldn’t be as easy to do that a second time. Should he tell the others? Jisung was scared. He was scared that his brother was back. That his life was in danger. That if the others found out about his past that they would see him in a different light. He didn’t want them to treat him differently.

 

He wanted Woojin to keep enveloping him in bear hugs that made Jisung feel like nothing in the world could hurt him. He wanted Changbin keep spoiling him when he made puppy eyes at his hyung that he knew the older couldn’t say no to. He wanted Chan to keep playfully arguing with him in a way that made him feel like a kid again. Jisung wrapped his arms around himself as he rocked back and forth with his tears beginning to wet his blankets. He wanted things to stay the same but he was becoming more than certain that this could never happen.


	5. When snatched from the jaws of death, tooth marks are to be expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday everyone! Next chapter coming right up.

Jisung hadn’t gone back to sleep. His mind couldn’t seem to shut down due to the terrifying thoughts that kept bombarding him everytime he closed his eyes. His head drooped with exhaustion but the sun had risen about a half hour ago so he knew Changbin would be waking up any minute. Jisung was usually the first out of bed in the morning and he realised that if he fell asleep now, the others would notice something was up and prod him with endless questions.

 

He threw his legs over the side of the bed and began to get changed but this was a challenge as his brain couldn’t seem to focus on the simplest of tasks. He managed to put his pants on backwards before misaligning the buttons on his shirt and since his emotions were all over the place, these little mistakes almost caused him to break down crying. Jisung placed his hand over his eyes and told himself to breathe. Everything was going to be ok. He was going to be ok.

 

A knock came on the door which caused Jisung to stand alert. He knew it was probably one of the other boys coming to wake them but ever since he was visited by a stranger out for his brother’s head last night, he realised he needed to be more cautious about everything. He approached the door and pulled it open.

 

“Jisung, you weren’t still asleep, were you? Rise and shine! Start of a new day and all that. You look like crap, by the way,” Chan chided.

 

Why wouldn’t he look awful when he barely had two hours sleep last night and spent the majority of his time awake whimpering like a child? Jisung gave a weak smile while trying not to meet his hyung’s eyes.

 

Chan quickly backpedaled on his remark. “Hey mate, I was just kidding. No need to look so upset over a joke, you don’t look that bad. I’m sorry, ok?” He nudged Jisung’s arm in the form of an apology and when he still didn’t get a reply, Chan immediately went into overprotective mode and stepped slightly closer to the younger.

 

“Jisungie, what’s the matter? Are you sick? Do you not feel well? Do you need Changbin to use his magic to make you feel better? Tell hyung what’s wrong.” Chan’s hands were placed on Jisung’s face as he tried to get the boy to look at him. As he raised Jisung’s head, a small smile graced the younger’s lips while his eyes crinkled shut.

  
“Nothing’s wrong, hyung. I just didn’t sleep very well last night is all. Changbin hyung was snoring so loudly that I couldn’t block out all the noise,” Jisung joked, trying to force the overwhelming feeling of anxiety in his stomach away.

 

Chan didn’t look convinced so Jisung tried to prove his story to be true. “You don’t believe me? Listen…” Jisung stepped aside to reveal a still sleeping Changbin who was, in fact, snoring quite noisily. Chan raised an eyebrow before moving past Jisung and leaping on top of a very scared and now awake Changbin. An ear piercing scream left the Medic’s mouth as he didn’t know why there was such a weight upon him so suddenly. He waited for his eyes to focus and realised there was a very annoyed Australian now glaring at him.

  
“What the actual hell hyung? Is this the way you wake all of your friends? Cause let me tell you, it’s an easy way to give someone a heart attack!” Changbin fumed.

 

“I woke you up this way because you were being a very inconsiderate hyung during the night. Jisungie looks like death because you couldn’t keep your big mouth...and nose...shut!” Changbin’s eyes moved to Jisung who was trying not to break into laughter at the site of Chan now squishing Changbin.

 

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about! And I don’t have a big nose…” Changbin was thrashing slightly, trying to knock Chan off of his bed which eventually worked as Chan’s rear collided with the hard, wooden floor. “How was I inconsiderate?” Changbin directed the question at both of the boys, hoping that one of them would respond with a reasonable answer.

 

“You kept Jisung up all night with your damn snoring. Look at the poor boy, he’s exhausted.”

 

Changbin’s eyes widened and he glowered at Jisung before turning back to Chan. “Hyung, I’m sorry but you’ve shared a room with him before. My snoring is _nothing_ compared to Jisung’s and you know I’m right!

 

Chan’s expression turned pensive for a moment before he realised that Changbin was right. Jisung did have a tendency to snore, really, really loudly and for long periods of time. Before either of the boys could spend more time thinking on the slightly pointless subject and possibly figuring out that this wasn’t the reason Jisung looked so awful, the younger boy let out a small yelp.

 

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, I feel fine. Have you woken up Felix and Hyunjin yet Channie hyung? No? Alright, I’ll go and do that now!” Jisung legged it out of the bedroom leaving a more than slightly confused Chan sitting on the ground with Changbin glancing after Jisung in bewilderment.

 

As Jisung made his way to Felix and Hyunjin’s room, he passed Woojin, who grabbed his arm and hugged him so tightly that Jisung was worried his bones would be crushed. Woojin bid him good morning as Jisung giggled happily and returned the greeting.

 

_‘He won’t be so affectionate towards you when he finds out about everything that you did.’_

 

Jisung stopped and quickly shook the echoing thoughts from his head. Upon hearing the Thief’s laughter halt so suddenly, Woojin pulled away from the boy and stared into his eyes.

 

“Jisung, is something wrong? You don’t look so good.” Why were all of his hyungs so damn perceptive when it came to him but when it came to how Changbin was completely smitten with Felix, they were oblivious?

 

“I’m perfectly fine, hyung. You can ask Changbin hyung the reason I look so ghastly.” A scream from the aforementioned person’s room made Woojin and Jisung whip their heads towards the noise.

  
“Hyung get off of me! It’s not my fault Jisung looks so goddamn ugly in the mornings!”

 

Jisung made a mental note to make Changbin suffer later for the rude insult but took this opportunity to free himself from Woojin’s grasp with the elder looking slightly worried at the sudden thump that rang from the bedroom followed by Chan shouting, “Ow, Changbin! What the hell? That hurt!”

 

Jisung tapped on the white wooden door of the boy’s bedroom. After about thirty seconds of rhythmic knocking, a weary looking Hyunjin answered the door while scratching his stomach. Jisung cackled at the state of the older boy which caused the Hyunjin to jut his bottom lip out in annoyance.

 

“I may have just woken up but I still look better than you do! The black bags under your eyes make it look like you got into a fist fight with someone.”

 

Ok, that was it. Jisung was sick of being insulted this early in the morning. Trying to be a decent person and waking the boys up obviously wasn’t going to be appreciated. “The last time I had bruises around my eyes was because of a _certain_ group of thugs who took me hostage and beat the hell out of me!”

 

Hyunjin’s eyes widened at the comment and Jisung realised he might have gone a little too far. “Sorry, that was cruel. I didn’t mean anything by it I just...I didn’t sleep well and all of the hyungs have commented about how awful I look already and I don’t need to hear it from you too.”

 

“That’s alright. Hey, Jisung, don’t worry about it, seriously.” Hyunjin felt the need to reassure the boy that he was not hurt from his comment as Jisung’s eyes dropped to the floor the minute he had realised what he said. Hyunjin moved towards Jisung and put his arm around the younger to drag him into the bedroom.

 

“So, what is the funniest way you can think of waking someone up?”

 

Jisung glanced at Hyunjin who was giddily staring back at him. “Uh, I dunno…”

  
  
Hyunjin stopped with his arm still around Jisung’s shoulders. “I highly doubt that you, Han Jisung, have never played a trick on our hyungs. You must have woken one of them up in a way which made them want to kill you afterwards.”

  
  
Jisung was slightly confused before his eyes were drawn to Felix who slept with his mouth wide open as copious amounts of drool seeped into his pillow.

 

“Personally, I like to sit on Felix’s legs while I tickle his feet. He doesn’t have the strength to kick me off so he’s at my mercy. Once, I did that to him and he passed out from laughing so hard. Ah, good times.” Hyunjin placed his hand on his chest while smiling as he recollected the hysterical memory, though he wondered if Felix could remember it, having fallen unconscious from his actions.

 

“I think that’s very inventive. I must add that to my repertoire of ways to wake people up. I think you should demonstrate so I can see how it’s done by a professional,” Jisung suggested with slight enthusiasm lacing his voice.

 

Hyunjin nodded while tip toeing over to the sleeping boy’s bed. He positioned himself over Felix’s legs and bent down to begin the torture but before he could start, Felix leapt up and threw Hyunjin off of the bed. The action had been so fast that Jisung could only stand and stare in surprise at the swift movements from the younger boy. Felix reached across to Jisung before pulling at his arm, causing the Thief to come crashing down beside Hyunjin. Both stared at the freckled boy with shock and horror.

 

“You guys think you can take me on? Jisung, your class is supposed to be about stealth, yet you can’t even sneak up on someone who is sleeping? And you!” Felix motioned towards a slightly baffled Hyunjin, “You think that the time I passed out from laughing qualifies as good times? I’m always alert as a result of that morning and I won’t let you do that to me again! You guys want a fight? You’ve got one!”

 

Felix hurdled towards both boys who still lay on the ground before digging his fingers into their sides and tickling them with all his might. Jisung couldn’t believe how strong Felix was, he couldn’t seem to detach himself from the other who still also had a hold on Hyunjin. He thought Changbin probably gave him a little more energy to heal than was required which resulted in his powerful grasp. Jisung couldn’t think clearly anymore between how much he was laughing and hearing the other boys squeal and giggle at Felix’s constant tickling. All three were now rolling around on the floor like a bunch of kids but Jisung was more than content to mess around with them and have some fun.

 

_‘You think they’ll still treat you this way when they realise who you are?’_

Felix went hurtling backwards before hitting off of the wall as Jisung gave an overly strong push, causing both Hyunjin and Felix to stop laughing immediately and stare at the Thief questioningly.

 

“Felix...sorry. Are you ok? I didn’t mean to push you so hard.”

  
  
Felix beamed back at Jisung. “I’m all good. I probably tickled you too much, right? I know how much I try to kick and hit Hyunjin when he does it to me. No worries, mate.”

 

Jisung thanked Felix for not taking it personally though he didn’t know the real reason that Jisung had made such a sudden motion.

 

Woojin popped his head in the open door to see what all the commotion was and upon seeing all three boys sitting on the ground, raised his eyebrows in suspicion but all three simply smiled in response. “If you kids are ready, come into our room. We want to talk to you about something.”

 

Hyunjin and Felix quickly stood and began to get dressed while Jisung made his way out of the room to give them some privacy. Everyone gathered in Woojin and Chan’s room and made themselves comfortable before Woojin began to speak.

 

“So, I think we’re all running a little low on cash at the moment. This town is so small that nobody is really in need of the services we provide. Myself and Changbin were talking and thought it might be a good idea to do some level grinding before we move onto Aquiria. What do you think?”

 

Hyunjin and Jisung nodded in agreement while Chan looked just a little bit lost in the conversation. Felix noticed Chan’s confusion and smirked slightly.

 

“Chan hyung, level grinding is when you go up against monsters in Phantasm and take them down with the skills you have learned. It helps you to become stronger and more confident in your abilities and whatever the enemy had on them when you take them down is yours. Some monsters drop items and you can use their pelts for upgrading your effects. People like Jisung who are Thieves can find objects on the body of the enemy that others like us can’t see and this is also true with regards to people if you go up against them in a fight. You can keep the items but more often than not, it’s more useful to sell them for money. In a larger group like this, it’s easier to take down bigger enemies which usually have rarer items that will sell for more in stores. Sorry, you just looked a little confused when Woojin hyung started talking, I thought I’d help you out a bit.”

 

Chan hadn’t said anything but Felix had picked up on how utterly puzzled he had been when Woojin had begun discussing level grinding. He was thankful to the younger Aussie for the explanation and smiled in response. Felix then cast his eyes downwards and Chan thought he could probably guess why. They would have to fight monsters, in other words beasts. Chan thought back to Felix’s explanation of his phobia and moved to sit beside the younger while the others were talking about where they should go to train.

 

“Hey, don’t worry mate, I’ll look out for you. I know I’m still pretty new to this but I promise I won’t let anything happen to you or anyone else here, ok? And I know everyone else will keep you safe as well, so you don’t have to worry about the animals attacking you while we’re around, alright?” Chan held out his fist for Felix who bumped it with his own in response. A small smile crept onto the younger’s face to show that he understood Chan’s promise. Hyunjin had also heard the quiet conversation between the two and internally thanked his new hyung for trying to make his friend feel more at ease.

 

“And that brings us to the second item on the agenda that we need to discuss.” Woojin turned his attention to the two boys situated beside Jisung on the ground. “What do you two plan to do now?”

  
  
Hyunjin and Felix glanced at each other with Hyunjin biting his lip awkwardly while Felix played with his fingers. They felt like they couldn’t ask outright if they could stay with this group, they didn’t even know if the other boys wanted them to stay. After all they had been part of the group that had attacked them and even badly injured Jisung.

 

“Do you guys want to go your own way? We don’t mind if you do but…”

 

Both boys perked up at the “but” part of the sentence with a hopeful look in their eyes. Chan continued with a small smirk as if he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask them.

 

“...you are more than welcome to join us and stay in the group if you want.”

 

Chan had barely finished his sentence before Felix’s arms were wrapped around his neck while Hyunjin was hopping up and down in one place, nodding his head with such ferocity that Jisung was worried it might pop off.

 

“I think we’ll take that as a yes?” Woojin chuckled while looking at Chan who was having trouble breathing due to Felix’s constricting grip around his neck.

 

The chokehold which nearly made Chan pass out suddenly loosened as Felix disconnected himself and spun around to face Changbin who had his chin resting in his hands while smiling affectionately at the two new members. Upon seeing Felix stare at him, he coughed and sat back into a nonchalant position which only made Felix laugh harder. Jisung couldn’t help but shake his head while thinking that his hyung was completely whipped for the freckled boy.

 

“Right, should we head to the forest just outside of town then? There’s sure to be some prey to attack there,” Changbin commented. The boys gathered their belongings and headed towards the outskirts of the city.

 

* * *

 

 

The sweltering heat from the sun made the short journey to their destination unbearable. Woojin and Chan had to endure unyielding complaints about the weather from the younger boys.

 

“Why do I feel like a parent taking their kids on a trip only to be shown no appreciation? All they seem to do is complain!” Chan placed his hands over his ears to try and block out the groans that originated behind him while Woojin patted Chan’s back before snorting at the boy’s distress.

 

“Hey, at least you’ve only arrived here. I’ve been with Changbin and Jisung for three months. They constantly argue over trivial things while I have to step in as the adult and be the peacemaker but now, we have four of them to look after. I’m telling you, having kids is no piece of cake.”

 

Chan grimaced as the moaning from the boys only seemed to get louder as they went on but before he could blow a fuse, Woojin turned and spoke.

 

“Ok, we’re here.” Chan stopped as he faced a small opening into a wooded area which was very reminiscent of where he had first woken up and been introduced to the dangers that Phantasm held. Chan shuddered as he thought back to the monster that had almost killed him on his first day here.

 

“I think it would be more effective if we split up into groups so that we can engage with more enemies and hopefully manage to obtain more items to sell. We’ll make a deal to only take on weaker enemies when we’re apart but later, when we reunite, we can try and think about looking for stronger ones. Everybody ok with that plan?” Woojin placed his hands on his hips as if, whether the others agreed with him or not, this was the only plan available.

 

All of the others indicated that they were ok with this while Chan linked arms with Felix, not forgetting what he promised the younger boy earlier. They were to separate into groups of three, so when Chan asked who wanted to come with them, Hyunjin didn’t even have a chance to put up his hand as Changbin was already positioned at Felix’s side with a blank face.

 

“I-I think with Chan hyung being new to this game and Felix being a little unconfident in his abilities, it would be a good idea to have some medical support in case something happens to either of them,” Changbin proclaimed while looking anywhere but at Felix’s unrestrained and cheerful smile. Felix moved his free arm to join with Changbin’s, which caused a red tint to fall upon the older boy’s cheeks. Jisung had to contain his fit of laughter at the sight of his hyung being tamed by someone as adorable as Felix.

 

“Alright, that leaves me, Hyunjinnie and Jisungie to work together then.” Jisung raised his hand towards Woojin to receive a high-five which made the older smile. He turned and made the same motion towards Hyunjin who looked slightly bewildered but humored Jisung all the same and slapped his hand too. Jisung pumped both of his fists in the air before grabbing his teammate’s hands and dragging them quickly into the forest. Both Woojin and Hyunjin turned around and gave small waves at the other team before being spun around by Jisung and disappearing behind the trees.

 

“Ok, so do we have a particular strategy for this or do we just see if we stumble upon any monsters?” Chan directed the question towards Changbin, who seemed to have relaxed at the idea of linking arms with the freckled boy.

 

“I think we’ll just walk around and see what we come across. This would actually be a good time to learn about some of the beasts you can find around here, hyung. Some might look similar to animals that we have in our world but there are others that are unlike anything you have ever seen.”

 

“Oh, really? Well, I’ve already come across that monster that nearly killed me. That kinda looked similar to a wolf, though it was more like a mutated one.” Felix looked slightly concerned at the mention of Chan nearly being slain by a beast which didn’t help the tension pooling in his stomach.

 

“That was a Bafrer. They are essentially wolves that have been cursed by evil spirits which is why my magic was so effective against the one that attacked you as dark energies are weak to holy magic. They are weak to any white magic really, like the kind Woojin hyung uses as well. And of course, strong melee attacks will work wonders against nearly every beast. That would be considered a medium strength enemy and it wouldn’t be too difficult to take down if we came across one, especially since you guys are with me.” Changbin flashed a proud smile which made Felix trip on nothing but since he was still holding onto the other boy’s arms, they caught him before he could fall with Chan telling him to keep on eye on where he’s going.

 

“A Bafrer. Ok, when we come across more enemies, you guys can explain to me what they are and I’ll do my best to remember.” Chan gave a thumbs up to the others who nodded with mock seriousness at the elder’s enthusiasm for learning.

 

It took about ten minutes of strolling before the group came across their first monster. Changbin removed the golden staff from his back and told the others that he would take this one alone so that Chan could observe what it was like to fight something other than a human. Felix stood beside Chan and explained to him that this small creature was called a Chiyeou and that it was extremely agile but quite weak when it came to attacking. Chan thought it resembled a miniature fox but was jade in colour, perhaps to help camouflage itself in the foliage of the forest.

 

Changbin disposed of the animal with relative ease though it took a couple of flashes of magic before he made contact due to how fast it was. They made their way over to the animal whose body was beginning to disintegrate into small flecks of shimmering dust which flew upwards into the atmosphere. Chan was mesmerised by the occurrence while the other boys moved down to where the beast’s body used to be and picked up twenty golden coins plus a green pelt that had fallen from the animal before it disappeared. Chan was beginning to understand that even with regards to fighting monsters, this was indeed like the console games he used to play as a kid. It didn’t have to make sense that an animal like that would even leave behind coins that they could use as tender in the shops back at the village. This was the way Phantasm operated and Chan wasn’t going to question it, he was just glad that they had encountered an enemy and gotten through it with no problems.

 

As the boys continued, they encountered other measly beasts such as Senvooaus, Corzos and Micaricis and Felix explained to Chan what each of these were, including their attack preferences and weaknesses. Chan thought that Felix was extremely knowledgeable about all of these beasts, even though he was so terrified of animals but then again, that might just be the reason he knew so much about them. Changbin skillfully stabbed a Rothebi, a maroon serpentine creature and picked up what the beast left behind. Felix explained that it wasn’t very fast but if it bit you, it would cause you to suffer rather unpleasant hallucinations. He told Chan that one had gotten to Hyunjin once and it took a whole twenty four hours for the venom to leave his system. He cried the entire time but couldn’t recollect what he had hallucinated about when he emerged from his daze. Chan noticed that Changbin was doing his best to show him how to deal with each of these creatures as it was his first time seeing most of them while at the same time, not forcing Felix to come into contact with the thing he feared the most which he was sure the younger was thankful for.

 

They had gathered quite a lot of items and loose coins and managed to avoid any bigger animals that they had caught sight of. Changbin had no intention of letting stronger beasts anywhere near Felix when he could see that the boy was slightly uncomfortable around the smaller monsters that they had come up against. They were happy with how they had progressed. Chan had helped Changbin take down a couple of the enemies and he felt he was becoming more confident in using his sword and shield to protect himself and the other boys which is really all he wanted to accomplish.

 

The three came across another Micarici, a small, round mammal that was covered in matted fur but when agitated, would harden said fur and fling it from its body towards enemies to deter them from attacking it. As Changbin walked towards the animal to dispose of it, he stopped before turning around. He grabbed Felix’s hand, interlocking his own fingers with the other’s, who looked more than a little shocked at the sudden contact. Chan folded his arms and raised his eyebrows in surprise at the sudden bold move the Medic had made. Changbin pulled Felix toward the small creature who looked ready to attack its enemies. Felix’s breath started to become uneven when he realised what Changbin was trying to get him to do. He tried to dig his heels into the dirt to stop himself but Changbin ceased pulling and spun around to face him.

 

“Felix, I want you to try attacking it, ok? Just use your whip to dispose of it and I will be right beside you the entire time. You should...probably let go of my hand so that you can steady yourself and focus on what you’re doing. It’s a really weak enemy and I won’t let it hurt you but I believe you can do this by yourself. What do you think?”

 

Felix’s eyes were coated with worry but upon seeing Changbin’s face, which was full of faith in his abilities, he felt like he should at least try what the Medic asked of him. He knew Changbin wasn’t lying when he said that he would protect him, just as he had done a couple of days ago when he had saved his life. He felt even more at ease when Chan moved closer to him with sword and shield in hand, ready to defend the boy if needed. Felix had always wanted to overcome this fear that had been holding him back for so long and felt that if he took even a small step such as this one, he may eventually be able to conquer such a feat. He looked back at Changbin and nodded his head slowly which caused the Medic to squeeze Felix’s hand in comfort before releasing it.

 

Felix took a couple of shaky steps towards the Micarici but maintained an adequate distance away from the creature at the same time. Even though he had agreed to do as Changbin suggested, anxiety was still coursing through his veins, causing his whole body to tremble slightly. He slowly raised his whip towards the animal which had already begun to harden its fur to strike at Felix. Before that happened, Felix flung the end of his whip towards the animal with unsteady hands. It missed the first time but with encouragement from Chan and Changbin emanating from behind him, Felix tried again and poured his energy through his weapon. This caused a golden glow to envelop his whip which illuminated the area as it came into contact with the small animal. Felix looked surprised as he hadn’t meant to allow that much of his energy to flow through his weapon but this didn’t interest him too much at the moment. He had managed to attack an enemy and more importantly, he had managed to eliminate it, all on his own. He stumbled backwards a little before spinning around to face his hyungs who looked like they had found a treasure beyond their wildest dreams. Felix leapt towards Chan, flinging his arms around the elder boy and squealing happily which caused Chan to return the hug and laugh along with him. Felix detached himself from his hyung before moving onto Changbin and completing the same action. While his arms were still around him, the Medic began to speak.

  
  
“Felix, that was so great. It was such a huge first step. You took care of that Micarici all by yourself! I’m so proud of you.”

 

“Thank you, hyung. I wouldn’t have been able to that on my own if you hadn’t helped me to. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Felix was swaying from side to side while hugging Changbin. Chan giggled at the two and when Changbin saw how Chan was looking at them, he quickly removed himself from Felix’s grasp and cleared his throat while looking away from the others.

 

“Yeah, like I said, really good job Felix. Let’s keep going, shall we? It’s almost time to meet up with the others anyways.” Changbin began to walk away without looking towards Felix again.

 

Chan moved to stand beside Felix and noticed the dejected look the younger boy had on his face, thinking that this was probably due to the sudden end to the hug he had shared with Changbin which made the Knight laugh in pity. He slung his arm around Felix’s shoulders and pulled the younger boy along to follow Changbin. They didn’t get very far before they were halted in their steps by a sudden scream from a familiar voice that echoed throughout the forest.

 

“Jisung! Look out!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Woojin watched as Hyunjin and Jisung sprinted towards a large black oak tree with Jisung winning the impromptu race. Hyunjin complained breathlessly that it wasn’t fair as Thieves had higher agility stats than Alchemists did to which Jisung scoffed and stuck out his tongue. Hyunjin pouted at Jisung’s childishness before jumping up, grabbing his head and digging his knuckles into it which caused Jisung to shout obscenities at the boy. Woojin scowled and shouted at the Thief to watch his language.

 

As the group progressed, they took down multiple enemies which differed in strength but nothing that the three of them couldn’t handle together. They were then faced with a Kemuriagma, a demon whose body was made entirely of smoke which caused melee attacks to be completely useless against it as they couldn’t make contact. Hyunjin quickly pulled items out of his rucksack and began mixing them together while Woojin began to sing a spell that lowered the demon’s defence and agility while, at the same time, raised his party’s strength.

 

_The more I slowly close my eyes,_

_The clearer the light gets,_

_Will I see myself in the darkness?_

_I’m opening my eyes now._

 

Hyunjin produced a crystal white sphere from his hands and threw it at the Kemuriagma before it could attack the boys. While Hyunjin threw the ball, Jisung moved quickly behind the demon and snatched an item from it. Hyunjin’s concoction immediately detonated when Jisung had moved far enough back so he wouldn’t be caught in the explosion. A silver mist emanated from the sphere and the Kemuriagma was quickly enveloped in it, which caused it to freeze in place and become become rigid. The smokey form of the demon was now unable to move as ice had engulfed its body. Since its form was now solid, Jisung returned to the Kemuriagma’s side and used his Daggers to shatter the demon’s body. It fell to pieces and began to disappear leaving behind numerous items including the small bottle of virulent poison which Jisung had snatched from it’s body before Hyunjin had stopped it. He knew would sell for a high price when they got back to the village. The three boys came together once again and Woojin threw his arms around his teammates to congratulate them on a job well done.

 

“Wow, we work really well together as a team, huh? We’re so in sync that it’s like we’ve been fighting together for months!” Woojin seemed ecstatic at the boy’s teamwork which caused Jisung to smile proudly back at him while Hyunjin rubbed his head awkwardly at the sudden compliment that he wasn’t used to hearing since he had spent the last few months as part of the group of bandits. He felt that he really liked being a part of this team.

 

Woojin looked at his watch and let the boys know that it was about time to meet up with the others, so they walked to the designated congregation point together. Jisung was starting to feel pretty weak due to lack of sleep and the amount of effort he had put into fighting the beasts they had come up against so that the other boys wouldn’t notice that there was anything wrong with him. He closed his eyes as he walked, so he didn’t even notice when Hyunjin came up beside him and placed his hand on the small of his back. Jisung snapped his eyes open to look at the older boy.

 

“Hey man, I can tell something is up with you. You’re not acting like your usual self. I mean, I know I’ve only spent a couple of days with you but the shift in your personality from yesterday is way too big for nothing to be wrong. You obviously don’t want to tell us and I’m not going to push you for a reason but just know that if you ever want to talk to someone about anything, I’m here for you, alright?” Hyunjin whispered to the Thief so as not to alert Woojin who was walking slightly ahead of them.

 

Jisung’s heart clenched in his chest at the kind gesture from the older boy and he felt like he wanted to pour all of his worries out to the Alchemist so he could comfort him and tell him everything was going to be alright. However, he had no idea how the boy would react to his past and Jisung didn’t want to lose his new friend, so he kept his mouth firmly shut and smiled.

 

“Thanks Hyunjin. I’m alright. If I ever need to talk, I promise I’ll come to you.” Jisung threw his arm around Hyunjin’s shoulder and patted his arm to show his appreciation. Hyunjin let out a sigh at his failed attempt to get Jisung to talk to him but accepted the boy’s choice and found relief in the fact that he said he would come to him if he needed help. He mirrored Jisung’s action and put his arm around the other’s neck as they walked beside each other.

 

The group stepped out into an open field where they had agreed to meet with the others. Jisung flopped down on the ground, closely followed by Hyunjin. Woojin scanned the area for the other boys but there was no sign of them. They had another ten minutes before they were supposed to meet so Woojin wasn’t worried. Yet. Jisung ran his fingers through the grass as he allowed his eyes to close once again. He breathed in the fresh air and it was times like this that he had to remind himself that all of this was an illusion. They weren’t in the real world but he found it hard to distinguish the small differences between the two worlds sometimes. Sleep began to cloud Jisung’s vision but not before he felt the ground start to vibrate a little, which caused his brow to crease in confusion but he didn’t open his eyes. Why was the ground shaking all of a sudden? Was he imagining it because of how exhausted he was? His eyes shot open when he heard Woojin yell at them both to stand up.

 

Jisung leaped up from the ground and looked around for the danger. It didn’t take long before Jisung’s gaze was drawn to the Gollias that was advancing towards them. The gargantuan ogre-like creature was slowly strolling towards them, dragging a worn, wooden club along the ground after it. Jisung started to panic internally as he knew there was no way the three of them could take on a monster like that by themselves. They needed the others, if not more people to come and help them. The monster was slow but if it managed to hit any of them in any way, they wouldn’t be alive to see tomorrow. The three boys wondered if they should make a run for it or engage it in battle but Woojin knew from experience that even though the monster was slow, they more than likely wouldn’t be able to out run it. Its thick, glaucous skin was impenetrable to most weapons and there were only certain magics that would make any sort of impact on the beast. They weren’t really left with much of a choice. They would have to find a way to at least incapacitate the Gollias before they could make their escape.

 

“We need to get out of here but that monster isn’t going to let us leave without a fight, so get ready. If we can even knock it to the ground, it might give us some time to get away. We can’t take it down alone and we don’t know when the others will get here. Are you kids ready?” Woojin stood in front of the others, almost as if he was going to protect the boys with his body if the Gollias attacked them.

 

Once the monster had seen the group, it let out a small growl before sprinting towards them with a cry. It took large, unrhythmic steps but the size of the beast allowed it to cover a lot of ground and it reached them in a matter of seconds. All three boys dodged the beast’s club with ease and ran to position themselves behind the Gollias to try and formulate a plan in their heads. Hyunjin was trying to deliberate if there was anything he could fashion from the items in his bag that would have any effect on the monster. Something seemed to hit him as he began to rummage and pour some liquids together. Upon seeing this, Jisung tried to distract the Gollias so that it wouldn’t attack Hyunjin while he was working.

 

Jisung called out to the monster while quickly running away everytime the Gollias swung his club towards him. Jisung really didn’t want to come into contact with the weapon or he would end up as a puddle on the ground. Woojin was again singing the same spell he had earlier which caused the Kemuriagma’s agility to slow down and Jisung knew that Woojin had to keep still while he uttered the words to the song for the spell to be effective, so he did his best to distract the monster on his own.

 

The Gollias became tired of following the boy as it knew it was never going to hit him if he kept running around like a little squirrel. Instead of hitting Jisung, the monster swung its club down on the ground right behind him which caused the Thief to lose his footing and come crashing to the ground, smacking his head in the fall. He became slightly stunned and the fact that he felt weak before this fight even started wasn’t helping him to regain his vision. He raised his hands to his now pounding head and realised from the garish, red fluid now covering his fingers that the hit had caused him to start bleeding. He was shaken from his daze by the sound of Woojin’s voice.

 

“Jisung! Look out!”

 

The sight of the Gollias’s club placed directly over his head slowly caused Jisung’s life to flash before his eyes. He didn’t have to worry about his brother coming for him anymore as he was going to die right here. Any strength that he had left in his body had now disappeared because of the fear that seemed to be paralyzing him. Jisung unwillingly resigned himself to his fate as he saw Woojin and Hyunjin both sprinting towards him while screaming his name but he knew that they would never make it to him in time. Jisung inhaled deeply as he realised that the wetness on his face was not his blood but rather warm tears that had broken from the corner of his eyes. He didn’t want to go, not yet.

 

Jisung suddenly felt a pair of hands secure themselves around his waist before he was being lifted up off of the ground and moved away from the ear piercing thump which emanated from the Gollias’s club that had just come into contact with the ground. His eyes were still blurry from his tears but he knew that, even without his vision being clouded, he had no idea who the person was that had just saved his life.

 

“Were you seriously just going to lie there and let that monster kill you?” The boy’s voice was soft yet held a tone of disappointment when he directed the question towards Jisung who was still in his arms. Jisung wasn’t sure if it was because of the injury to his head but all he could seem to focus on was the modest smile that fell upon the stranger’s lips. He was brought back to reality when the Gollias let out a roar at the sight of its prey being taken away. The boy placed Jisung safely on the ground, away from the monster and told him to sit tight before turning to face the Gollias and running towards it. Just as he did this, Chan, Felix and Changbin came running up from behind Jisung with Changbin skidding to a halt beside his friend when he noticed the crimson blood trickling down his neck.

 

“What in the hell is that?” Chan was staring wide eyed at the monster who was now enraged as it tried to smash the boy who had saved Jisung into the ground.

 

“Holy crap, is that a Gollias? I’ve never seen one in real life before. It’s huge!” Felix said this with an amazed tone lacing his words but Chan could see how badly the other was shaking as he talked.

 

Changbin grabbed Jisung’s face and directed his gaze towards him. “Jisungie, are you alright? What happened? Where are the others?”

 

Jisung gestured towards the treeline where Hyunjin had resumed working on his concoction now that he saw that Jisung was safe, with Woojin trying to help the new addition to the fight attack the monster. “I’m ok hyung, it’s just a scratch. Go and help the others. Felix can stay here with me. They look like they could use other fighters. Go…”  
  
Changbin looked a little unwilling to leave his friend but once Felix said that he would make sure nothing would happen to Jisung, he looked towards Chan asking if the other was ready to fight the monster. Chan nodded in reply and the two boys sprinted towards their friends to even out the fight.

 

Felix placed a hand on Jisung’s shoulder and turned him to look at the gash on the back of his head. He grimaced at the amount of blood coming from the laceration and quickly shrugged off his jacket before using it to apply pressure to Jisung’s head. The Thief placed his hand on top of Felix’s and thanked him for the small comfort before turning his gaze back to the fight.

 

Hyunjin had finished whatever it was that he was working on but shouted to the others that he needed the Gollias to stop moving before he could use the item. Upon hearing this, Woojin tried to think of a mantra he had come across in a book a few weeks ago that could halt an enemy in their tracks. He recalled the words and started to recite them.

 

_Step out of them voices,_

_Blocking both my ears and they're shouting again,_

_Step out of them voices,_

_Break free from the voices in my head._

 

The Gollias became slower and slower, though it didn’t halt completely and Woojin thought this spell might not be strong enough to thoroughly stop a monster of this size. The newcomer to the fight realised this and drew a long Katana from his back before running beneath the beast and slashing both of its ankles. The Gollias let out a roar from the pain as it fell to the ground with a thunderous boom. Woojin was slightly shocked that the boy had a weapon that managed to cut the monster’s thick skin but wasn’t complaining as it was a great advantage in the fight.

 

Changbin began casting a curing spell over the others within the fight to try and give them more energy to defeat the beast while Chan stood in front of him, protecting the focused boy just in case. Hyunjin ran towards the Gollias and hurled a rather heavy looking cube at the monster. Almost immediately after making contact, the beast’s body was engulfed in flames which elicited a scream unlike any of them had ever heard before. Hyunjin knew, thanks to Felix’s knowledge, that a Gollias would be weak against flame and fire attacks as its entire body was coated in a substance that closely resembled grease. The monster began to writhe due to the pain and continued to do so for about two minutes before becoming still. Its body began to vanish in front of the boys which was an indication that they had done the unthinkable and not only stopped the beast, but killed it.

 

Once they had gotten over the shock of what they had just done, they all let out a cheer at their victory with Hyunjin high fiving Woojin and Chan placing his arm around Changbin. They celebrated for a few seconds before remembering Jisung and running back over to him. He seemed to have regained his senses once the others had reached him as Changbin told the younger to lie down so he could begin treating him. He complied but suddenly sat back up which caused a feeling of dizziness to engulf his head. He moved his neck to see past the others, with the group looking confused before they realised what, or rather who, he was looking for.

 

Standing a couple of meters away was the boy who had saved Jisung from becoming a nothing more than a memory. As he saw all of their eyes on him, the boy gave a weak smile and chuckled a little. Jisung couldn’t seem to look away from him but thought that this was simply because of the fact that he had just saved his life and _nothing more._

 

“Uh, hi. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your fight, it just looked like you needed a little bit of help.” He nodded his head towards Jisung who blushed a bit in embarrassment.

 

“Don’t apologise for joining in. You saved Jisung’s life. We wouldn’t have made it to him in time, so thank you,” Woojin exulted which caused the new boy to scratch his head in self-consciousness.

 

“Where did you even come from?” marveled Hyunjin.

 

 _‘With a face like that, probably heaven_ ,’ Jisung thought before his eyes widened and he placed his hands over his face at the sudden bold thought that crept into his head.

 

“I was training by myself just through there.” The boy gestured to the trees near where Chan and the others had emerged from. “I heard someone shouting and came to investigate. I saw you on the ground ready to be squashed and thought that I should probably help out.”

 

“We were lucky you were around. I don’t know if Jisungie would have made it if you weren’t there.” Jisung hit Changbin at the use of his nickname in front of the stranger which caused the new boy to smirk.

 

“Oh, by the way, I’m Chan. Nice to meet you.” Chan gestured to himself and then to each of the other boys in the group before he introduced them, with all of them giving a “hi” or a little wave.

 

“So, what should we call you? Besides Jisung’s saviour that is,” Felix joked which caused Jisung to narrow his eyes a little at the boy.

 

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you all. I’m Minho. Lee Minho.”


	6. The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! We're finally getting to what some of you have been looking for, Jisung's past...but not all of it. Where would the fun be in revealing all of his secrets to you so early on? I've said it before but I apologise for putting Jisung through so much pain! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Once the pleasantries and introductions had been dealt with, the group started to make their way back towards the village as night was beginning to descend but not before they collected their prizes for defeating the Gollias. It left behind no less than ten thousand gold coins, six strength potions and a Scimitar sword. Changbin mentioned that Chan could use this new sword or keep the one he had. Chan decided he didn’t want to switch his weapon so easily and indicated that he would hold onto the Mortuary sword that he had bought from Chul Moo, so they all decided to sell it instead.

 

After Changbin had administered first aid, Woojin placed Jisung on his back to return to the inn. Jisung kept having to reassure Woojin that he was fine since the older boy wouldn’t stop apologising for not being able to protect him like a good hyung should have. Jisung rested his head on Woojin’s shoulder as he carried him, which allowed the young Thief to finally catch up on all of the sleep he had missed out on. Minho, who was walking at the back of the group, let his eyes fall on the sleeping boy before he was quickly dragged back to the present.

 

“So, Minho-ssi, are you from around here?” Felix fell back to walk beside him which caused Hyunjin to do the same.

 

“Uh, no. I originally began the game in Aquiria but I travel around a lot. I’m actually planning on heading back there pretty soon. And you can call me hyung if you want. Minho-ssi makes conversations seem too formal.” Felix’s face seemed to light up at the comment.

  
  
“No way, that’s where we’re headed too. You should come with-” Felix was cut off by Hyunjin, who firmly punched his arm and shook his head.

  
  
“That’s not for us to decide, Lix.” Felix gave an apologetic smile towards Minho and cast his eyes down to the ground. Hyunjin realised he probably reacted too harshly but he didn’t want the others to think that they were taking advantage of their kindness by making decisions like inviting someone new to join them without first asking them. The others weren’t oblivious to the conversation between the three boys though.

 

“You’re heading back to Aquiria, Minho? Do you travel alone?” Chan had craned his neck backwards while still walking forwards.

 

“Yeah, I’m a bit of a loner. Though I don’t mind having some company once in a while.” Minho flashed a white smile with his reply.

 

Chan turned to look at Woojin and Changbin, who seemed to be of the same mindset as the Knight.

 

“If you want some company while traveling back to Aquiria, you could come along with us if you’d like. You seem like a decent fighter and help like that is always appreciated.”

 

Felix looked at Minho with expectant eyes and Hyunjin could tell that Felix was already beginning to look up to the older boy, possibly because of how easily and skillfully he had managed to take down the Gollias.

 

“Really? You guys wouldn’t mind if we travelled together until Aquiria?”

 

Felix answered for all of them with the frantic shaking of his head. “We’d love if you came along hyung. We’re leaving for the city tomorrow, if that’s alright with you.”

 

“I’ll take you up on that offer then. It’s a long trek when you go alone. Having someone to talk to would make the journey seem shorter.”

 

All of the boys smiled towards the temporary addition to their group and headed in the direction of the village. Chan began to turn around to ask Minho where he was staying but before he spoke, he noticed the boy had his gaze set on Jisung with an unreadable expression. Perhaps he was still worried about the boy sleeping on Woojin’s back, even though Changbin had already healed him to an acceptable standard. Once Minho caught Chan’s eye, his manner quickly changed, letting a small smile fall upon his lips. Chan thought nothing more of it and asked Minho where he was lodging, with Minho replying that there was another inn on the opposite edge of the town where he had stayed the last couple of nights. The group made a plan to meet outside the tavern in the centre of town tomorrow at ten in the morning before leaving for Aquiria. The boys headed towards the inn but before Minho could leave, Woojin called out to him while still carrying Jisung.

 

“Hey, I just wanted to say thank you again for saving Jisung. Seeing that Gollias going in for the kill was one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever experienced and not just in Phantasm. Jisung is really precious to all of us and I don’t know what we would have done if we had lost him. So, thank you, Minho.”

 

Minho glanced at the dozing boy before smirking slightly at Woojin. “Don’t mention it, Woojin-ssi. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I’m glad your friend is safe too.”

 

“If Felix can call you hyung, then you can call me hyung too. You’re practically one of us thanks to your daring rescue anyways.” Woojin let out a laugh but quickly quietened himself as he didn’t want to wake Jisung.

 

“Ah, ok then...hyung.” Minho returned Woojin’s smile and waved happily as Woojin returned to the inn. Once they had disappeared from sight, Minho’s expression shifted to one of indifference as he let his hand fall to his side. While whistling a familiar tune, he turned on his heel and made his way towards his lodging.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Woojin placed Jisung gently on his bed and pulled the blankets over him to keep him warm. The Bard had asked if he could stay with Jisung tonight so Changbin had switched rooms with him. Woojin pushed Jisung’s hair from his eyes and let out a small sigh. Why was it always Jisung that they couldn’t protect? Why was the young Thief always the one to get the brunt of the attacks that they endured? As if the young boy hadn’t gone through enough in his life already, this game treated him just as badly. Woojin felt that the kid just couldn’t catch a break. He moved to sit on his own bed, with the springs creaking slightly due to his weight. He let his head fall into his hands as he thought back to the fear he felt when Jisung had almost been killed. He ran with all his might but he knew no matter how fast he sprinted towards his friend, he wasn’t going to be able to save him.

 

When Minho had materialised out of nowhere and swept Jisung up in his arms and out of harm's way, Woojin thought his legs were actually going to give out from under him due to the relief. He could feel tears pricking his eyes but he didn’t want to start crying over nothing. Jisung was safe and snuggled up in bed beside him. He thought about how badly he wanted to return home with these boys and protect them all once they got there. He wanted out of this dangerous place, where he had already seen so many people die. He didn’t want to lose any more of his friends. He wanted to go back.

 

“Woojin hyung?”

 

The Bard’s head shot up at the sound of Jisung’s voice, who was yawning while stretching his arms into the air. He looked a little pale even though Changbin had healed him up earlier, which worried Woojin slightly. The elder moved over to Jisung’s bed and knelt down beside him while feeling his forehead.

 

“Jisungie, how are you feeling?”

 

“I’m fine hyung. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on the way back here. Is everyone ok?” Jisung rubbed his eyes in exhaustion while Woojin grinned at the younger.

 

“That’s alright. You were drained from the fight earlier. Plus, Channie said that you didn’t sleep properly last night either so that probably added to how tired you were. And yes, everyone else is fine.” Woojin gently pushed his fingers through Jisung’s hair, being careful not to touch off of the wound on his head. His comforting smile soon vanished and he dropped his head.

 

“Jisungie, I’m so sorry that I let you get hurt. I should have been helping you to distract the Gollias. I wasn’t beside you and because of that, you nearly…” Jisung quickly held up his hand in front of the elder’s face.

 

“Hyung, if you apologise one more time, I’m afraid I’m going to have to kill you, which will be awfully ironic considering what you’re apologising for!” he scolded. Jisung then began to mimic Woojin’s actions by softly patting his hyung’s hair and Woojin could only laugh at the boy’s generous spirit.

 

“You look exhausted too, hyung. Go to sleep.”

 

Woojin nodded slightly with an uneven smile and began to make his way to his own bed before Jisung caught the end of his jumper, causing Woojin to turn around and face the boy.

 

“I told Chan hyung the reason I didn’t sleep last night was because of Changbin hyung’s snoring, which was partly true but I also sort of had a...nightmare that really scared me. Can you…” Jisung slowly trailed off. “You know what, nevermind, it’s ok.” Jisung began to turn away to face the wall before Woojin caught his shoulder to make the boy turn back around and face him.

 

“What do you want me to do Jisungie?”

“Can...can you stay here with me, even if it’s just for a little while?”

 

Woojin didn’t hesitate. He walked over to turn off the lights, moved back to Jisung and motioned for the younger boy to shuffle over in the bed to make room for him. He wriggled beneath Jisung’s covers and wrapped his arms around him to pull him closer in the bed that obviously wasn’t made for more than one person. Jisung nuzzled his nose into his hyung’s chest and let out a small sigh of relief that Woojin was so willing to look after all of their needs, no matter how silly they thought it might be.

 

“I’ll work harder to keep you boys safe. I promise you that right now Jisungie. Don’t ever feel like you can’t tell me anything or ask me to do things like this for you, ok?”

There was no reply from the younger as he had already nodded off and was snoring softly.

  
“Good night, Jisungie. Sweet dreams.” The events of the day took their toll on the two boys and both fell into the land of dreams within mere seconds while still holding onto each other.

 

* * *

 

 

The weather had gone from one extreme to another. The younger boys were complaining about the unbearable heat the day before while today, they complained about the bitter cold that was nipping at them. They bundled themselves up while making sure they left nothing behind at the inn. Woojin made the point that they should stop by the general store in town and rid themselves of all of the items they had obtained yesterday instead of dragging them all the way to Aquiria. The group made their way to the store, with all going inside except for Jisung and Felix who waited on the entrance steps.

 

Jisung felt much better than he did last night. He woke up to Woojin still hugging him closely and realised he hadn’t stirred all night. He was thankful that no nightmares had disturbed his sleep and wondered if it was thanks to his hyung’s arms around him. While they waited, Felix couldn’t seem to stop talking about how cool he thought Minho was and that he couldn’t wait to get to know him better while they journeyed together, even if it would only be for a short amount of time.

 

Jisung nodded in response, feigning disinterest but as soon as he saw Minho in the distance, a small smile tugged at his lips. Felix shot up and started to wave at the boy, who shyly returned the greeting. Jisung grabbed Felix’s thick coat and dragged the younger boy down again, telling him that he was embarrassing himself. Felix pouted at the Thief who glowered in response. Minho came to stand in front of the two boys, with his freezing hands stuffed firmly inside of his pockets.

 

“Good morning. I thought we were supposed to meet in front of the tavern. How come you guys are here?”

 

“Mornin’ hyung. We’re just selling the treasures that we found from monster hunting yesterday. All of the others are inside the store. You look like you’re freezing.” Jisung rolled his eyes slightly at the younger due to to his obvious observation. Of course he was freezing, all of them were.

 

“Are you feeling better today Jisung? How’s the injury?” Minho made a gesture to the back of his own head while directing the question towards the Thief.

 

“Uh, I, uh, feel fine, hyung. No need to worry about me. I’m used to this kind of thing. It always seems to be me getting beaten up.” Felix looked away sheepishly but Jisung slowly put his arm around his shoulders. “That wasn’t meant to be a dig at you. I’m just talking about my life in general.” He ruffled Felix’s hair which caused the boy to shrug him off quickly with a small shout.

 

Felix jumped a little as he remembered something. “Hyung, we were so exhausted yesterday that we never got to ask you what class you are.”

 

Minho raised his eyebrows while he scratched the back of his head. “Oh, I was assigned the Shadow class.”

  
Felix looked towards Jisung who was frowning a little at Minho’s answer. “So that means you fall within the same category as Jisung. Using stealth to attack your enemies. That was probably why Hyunjin and Woojin hyung almost didn’t see you when you rescued Jisung yesterday. You teleport through the shadows to get to your destination, right?”

 

“You seem awfully educated on my class Felix. You’re not a Shadow too, are you?” Felix opened his mouth to start talking but quickly realised he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Minho by telling him his childhood story.

 

“He’s a Beast Master. He doesn’t like to use his class’s abilities so he kind of sticks to using his melee weapon, which I think is pretty cool. He’s strong enough to simply rely on that.” Felix quickly gawked at Jisung and his ability to come up with a lie like that. It wasn’t that Felix didn’t want to use his abilities, it was that he couldn’t but Jisung had managed to come up with an excuse that didn’t make Felix feel self-conscious, which Minho seemed to accept.

 

“Oh that’s pretty much like me then. I find using my abilities puts a lot of strain on my body so I pretty much stay away from using my skills and stick with my Katana.” Minho gestured to the sword on his back which Felix ogled with amazement. Jisung moved his head to glance at Minho’s weapon too. It was protected by a black, leather case but the hilt was still visible. Ruby gemstones littered the top of the sword with golden thread flowing down to where the handle met the blade.

 

“Jisung, how about you?” Jisung was startled by Minho’s voice and stared at him in confusion before Minho giggled and spoke again. “What class are you, I mean?”

 

“I’m a Thief. Similar to you with regards to agility but I tend to use my speed for dodging attacks and stealing rare items instead of attacking,” Jisung explained before he realised how morally ambiguous it sounded.

 

Before the conversation could progress any further, the rest of the group emerged from the store with overjoyed expressions. Upon seeing Minho, Hyunjin leapt down the stairs to meet him while the others simply called his name and waved. Minho tilted his head and smiled before giving a “good morning” of his own.

 

Felix turned to Woojin with eager eyes. “So, hyung, how much did you get?”

 

Woojin’s grin widened at the question. “After selling everything and counting the money the enemies dropped too, the total came to 29750 coins.”

  
  
“Holy shit!”

 

“Jisung! Watch your language…” Woojin warned the Thief.

 

“That’s 4250 each between the seven of us,” Chan beamed, obviously happy with the outcome.

 

“Is there someone else traveling with you guys?” All eyes flew towards Minho who asked the question.

 

“No, all of us are here. Why?” queried Changbin.

 

Minho moved his fingers over each of the boy’s heads and grimaced. “You said between the seven of you so, unless I’ve become too stupid to count, I can only see six of you here now.”

 

Woojin laughed a little at the boy’s puzzled expression. “What? You think we wouldn’t include you in the division of money? You helped us out big time yesterday so we think you deserve your share of the prize too.”

 

Minho raised his eyebrows in surprise and pointed to himself. “Wait, you included me? Why would you do that?”

 

Chan exhaled through his nose. “For the reason Woojin just said. Do you not think you’re worthy of being rewarded for your help? Here, take it.” A small leather satchel was chucked towards Minho, which jingled as the coins bounced on contact with Minho’s hands. Minho’s eyes were fixed on the small bag and Jisung noticed the look of confusion that was present on the older boy’s face.

 

“Hyung, do you not want the money? Don’t feel like you don’t deserve it, cause you do.” Hyunjin looked slightly worried at Minho’s reaction but the older boy quickly regained his senses and shook his hands at the other.

  
“No no, it’s a very kind gesture. I’m just thinking I didn’t really do very much but I’ll accept it if you’re sure. Thank you.” Minho bowed towards the others which caused a murmur of embarrassed replies.

 

“We bought some supplies inside too. We figured that we’d have to stop and make camp as there are no towns or cities between this one and Aquiria. We got tents, sleeping bags, cooking utensils and some rations so we can rest comfortably for a night or two; depending on how fast we travel. Knowing us, something will happen along the way.” Hyunjin turned to show a slightly bulky, navy backpack resting on his shoulders. Felix noticed that both Woojin and Chan had similar ones on their backs too.

 

“Can we get out of here already? I’d like to put this place behind us as fast as we can.” Jisung stood up and stretched while Changbin saw the chance to tease the boy.

  
“Aww but Jisungie, I thought you loved this place. You were so cute the other day when you dragged us all to the ice cream shop and ordered the strawberry cheesecake flavour. You said it was one of the best things you’ve ever tasted and you’ve eaten a lot of things in this game.”

  
  
If looks could kill, Changbin would be dead on the ground the way Jisung stared him down. He glanced at Minho who seemed to be trying to hold in a laugh at the description of the boy’s earlier escapades.

 

“Seo Changbin, you better sleep with one eye open tonight. I’m all about stealth and I will make your death look like an accident.” Jisung huffed and began to walk away, with Hyunjin and Felix calling after him to wait up. The other boys followed the Thief, commenting that Changbin was cruel to rile him up like that after he had been through so much yesterday but quickly laughed at the cute reaction the younger had given.

 

* * *

 

Minho wondered if the people in charge of Phantasm had any control over the weather or if it was randomised. White specks landed on his nose as a gentle breeze caused snowflakes to descend from the dark sky. The crystal powder was beginning to land on the ground, which made Jisung wonder if this would make camping more difficult. At the rate it was falling, the older boys didn’t seem to be worried as Hyunjin mentioned, if need be, he could create a concoction similar to the one he had made to defeat the Gollias yesterday. If he contained it instead of letting it explode, he could use it as a heater that could melt the snow in a certain circumference which would keep all of them safe and warm for a certain amount of time. It was instances like this they wished they had a Black Mage on their team, who had control over all of the four elements. Alas, they had to make due with what they had.

 

Felix and Hyunjin fell to the back of the pack, talking in hushed whispers, which made Jisung slightly nervous but he couldn’t put his finger on the reason why. Woojin, Chan and Changbin had moved to walk beside Minho and engage in light conversation. Woojin had made a note that Minho didn’t seem to be the talkative type and thought the reason may be because he had travelled on his own for so long. However, due to the variety of people that were in their group, Woojin knew that Minho would have to talk sooner or later, whether he wanted to or not.

 

“Hyung, Felix tells me you’re a Shadow, that’s pretty neat.” Changbin tried to begin a discussion with the older boy to break the silence.

 

“Is it? I always thought it was kind of dull compared to other people’s classes. Felix being a Beast Master is much cooler than me being a Shadow.” Changbin seemed surprised at Minho’s comment which didn’t go unnoticed by Chan and Woojin.

  
“Wait, he told you about that already? He’s so easily embarrassed by his story, I didn’t think he’d share it with you so willingly.”

 

“Why should he be embarrassed about it? So he doesn’t like to use his abilities, it’s cool that he can still do all of that in the first place.”

  
  
Changbin frowned slightly. “What are you talking about? The whole point is that he can’t-” Chan’s hand was suddenly clasped around the Medic’s mouth as he came to the realisation a lot faster than Changbin had that Felix hadn’t told Minho the whole truth, just enough to get by.

 

“Yeah, he’s pretty amazing for someone so young, right?” Chan let out a breathy laugh as Changbin’s eyes suddenly changed which let Chan know that he understood why he had almost smothered him.

 

While walking alone, Jisung allowed his eyes to fall on the group of older boys. The height difference between all of them, especially Changbin compared to the others, was amusing. While his hyungs were tall, none of them came close to Hyunjin who towered over the rest of them. Minho suddenly let out a boisterous laugh which startled Jisung. The high pitched giggle that emanated from the boy didn’t seem to match his image or at least the one Jisung had of him. The Thief wondered what it was that the other boys said to make him cackle like that and as Minho continued to laugh, Jisung couldn’t help but find it contagious as a smile of his own began to form on his face. Before he could actually start laughing along with the boy, a sudden pain came from the back of his head as he felt something wet come into contact with it.

 

He spun around to face Felix and Hyunjin, who both quickly pointed at each other while smirking slightly. Jisung realised from the remnants in his hair that one of them had thrown a snowball at him. It hadn’t really hurt at all but Jisung was nothing if not a dramatic person, so he decided to play with them for a bit. He grabbed the back of his head as he grimaced with mock hurt.

 

“Really guys? You hit me right where I injured my head yesterday. Ah, it really hurts. I’m not bleeding again, am I?” Jisung moved his hand down in front of his face as if checking to see if his injury had reopened, while swaying slightly to show his balance was compromised.  

 

Felix and Hyunjin’s faces dropped instantly with Felix smacking Hyunjin’s arm. “How could you hit him on the head like that? Look how much pain he’s in now!”

 

Hyunjin began to make his way towards Jisung with quick steps and a terrified look on his face. “Oh god Jisung, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot about where you got hurt. Are you alright? Let me take a look. I don’t think you’re bleeding. Is the pain really bad? Jisung, please talk to me!”

 

Jisung was doubled over pretending to wince in agony but couldn’t hold his giddiness in any longer as he straightened himself and fell into convulsions of laughter. Hyunjin stood in disbelief as he wasn’t quite sure what was happening before Felix came up from behind him and sighed deeply.

  
  
“Looks like we got played, Jinnie. At least we managed to give him a good laugh,” Felix grunted while motioning towards Jisung who was holding onto his stomach.

 

A dark shade of red washed over Hyunjin’s face as he began yelling. “You think that was funny, Jisung?! I was really worried about you there! I thought I hurt you. You’re such an asshole.”

 

“Yeah, yeah I am but that’s what everybody loves about me, right?” Jisung sighed, wiping his eyes while trying to catch his breath.

 

“Oh, a wise guy? You’re all about agility, yeah? Can you dodge this?” Hyunjin bent down and began to gather the fallen snow in his hands before fashioning it into a compact sphere. Jisung knew exactly where this was going and began to make a run for it before another snowball could come into contact with his head. Hyunjin was right, Jisung was all about speed but Hyunjin was all about aim. The Alchemist acquired his target and flung his snowy weapon at the boy but just before it could hit him, Jisung ducked out of the way. The snowball made contact but not with the Thief’s head. Chan stumbled a bit when he was drawn from the conversation by the frozen mess that now littered his hair. He angrily turned around and once again, Hyunjin and Felix gestured towards each other before smiling timidly at their hyung.

 

A playful glint entered Chan’s eyes as an impish smile crept onto his lips. “Are you sure you guys want to start a fight that you can’t win?” Chan began to shape the snow in his own hands with Hyunjin and Felix running in opposite directions while screaming at the threat of being pummeled with snowballs. Chan threw the snowball towards Felix as Jisung joined Chan’s team against the other two boys and aimed towards Hyunjin. Both boys were hit in the shoulder while yelling in unison as the wetness seeped through their clothes. Woojin began to warn them about catching their death because of the cold but was quickly cut off as Changbin hurled a snowball at the Bard. It wasn’t long before all six boys were hiding behind trees while trying not to get shot down. Minho hadn’t moved from where the conversation had ended and simply stared at the others with a blank expression on his face. He watched as numerous snowballs were thrown between all of them with some of the snowballs missing but the majority of them hitting their targets. Minho really wasn’t used to stuff like this.

 

“Hyung! Come on! Join our team, we could use more help over here-” Felix stopped suddenly as a snowball came into direct contact with his face, causing him to fall over and Changbin to nearly keel over laughing. Felix sat up and pouted sadly at the Medic, causing the elder to wander over to the boy, bend down and wipe the remnants of his attack off of Felix’s face. Changbin was still laughing at Felix’s sulky expression before both realised the close proximity of their faces. Felix scooted slightly backwards as his face flared red while Changbin started coughing violently. Hyunjin rolled his eyes at their reactions but smiled when he noticed that Minho had moved over to him to join in on the fight.

 

Hyunjin thought it was like Minho had never participated in a snowball fight before. He had to show the new addition how to fashion the snowball and pick out a target who he thought would be easy to hit. Once Minho zeroed in on Chan, he flung his snowball with all his might and his prey fell over with a soft thump into the fallen snow. Hyunjin hollered in excitement while turning to high five Minho who eventually replied with his hand for Hyunjin to slap. The extempore snowball fight lasted for close to twenty minutes before Woojin called a truce between the two teams. All boys were slightly out of breath and nearly soaked to the bone as all had been hit with numerous snowballs.

 

“You were really accurate once you got into the swing of things, hyung. How did you even see Jisung behind that tree? It’s like you could sense he was there.” Hyunjin complimented Minho’s perception and abilities during the fight.

 

“That was just a lucky guess. I’m pretty sure I heard him laughing before I even saw him there. You should really learn to control that since you’re a Thief. You’re not going to be much good if the bad guys hear you laughing before you steal from them!” Minho teased Jisung who sneered at the older boy and his sudden playful insult.

 

The group continued to travel, with conversation closing the empty space between them. Minho remained mostly quiet with the others filling him in with information about their own lives. Jisung felt slightly out of breath from the earlier fighting so he was more than content to walk beside Hyunjin and Felix and listen to them talk about themselves for the journey. The rest of the day remained mostly uneventful, only being interrupted by the occasional beast which the group took down with ease.

 

The snow had come to a halt but the sky remained dark as Woojin suggested that they should stop and begin to think about setting up camp as it would take them an hour or so to assemble everything. The group found a clearing just beneath a group of trees, a few feet away from the path they had been travelling on which would give them the shelter they needed for the night in case it started to snow again. Hyunjin began to make the mixture that would warm the area for the boys while Chan started on a campfire that they could use to cook their food. They knew they could only use the fire for a short amount of time before the light and sound would draw enemies upon them. Changbin, Felix, Jisung, Minho and Woojin began to set up the three tents and place the sleeping bags inside.

 

They decided to split the groups by age with Woojin, Chan and Minho taking the first tent, Changbin and Hyunjin taking the second with Jisung and Felix taking the last. The fire sparked as Chan finished lighting it causing the boy to flinch backwards a bit. He then began to rummage through his bag to find the assortment of food they had purchased earlier. Seared beef, brisket and dakgalbi emerged from the bag with side dishes that Chan just couldn’t wait to try out. As he had discovered earlier, the food within Phantasm was just as good as the food he was used to from the real world. Hyunjin offered to help with the cooking and the two boys discussed their favourite types of music while they completed their work.

 

It wasn’t long before their sleeping arrangements had been set up and everyone gathered around the campfire just in time for dinner to be served. No matter how much time all of the boys spent together, they always found a new topic to discuss which caused them to both laugh and argue (Felix claimed that chocolate was the superior ice cream flavour which Jisung vehemently disagreed with.) Once again, the boys noticed that Minho stayed quiet during most of the conversations, only talking when a question was put to him or when he was asked his opinion on something. They all wanted to get to know Minho a little better during the short time they would travel together but he was making it awfully difficult.

 

Their makeshift plates were soon cleared of all food and yawns began to fall from their mouths. The group stood to dust themselves off before tidying away what was left of their dinner. Chan and Woojin shoveled dirt onto the campfire causing it to go out and each group bid each other goodnight before making their way to their tents before tucking themselves in to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Hyunjin nestled into the sleeping bag, which was exceedingly comfortable considering how cheap it was in the general store. Changbin let out a heavy sigh and rolled over on his side. Hyunjin thought that this might be a rare opportunity to discuss some of his thoughts with the older boy alone.

 

“Hey hyung. You still awake?” Changbin grunted in response to show that he was sleepy but still listening to the younger boy.

 

“I know I’ve said it like a thousand times already but I wanted to say thanks for all your help when Felix got hurt. If you ever need anything, just let me know, ok?”

 

Changbin opened his eyes at that and shuffled to face Hyunjin. “You really need to stop thanking me. I told you, I thought it was the right thing to do, which it was. You guys are a part of this dysfunctional family now, whether you like it or not. So, really Hyunjinnie, stop thanking me already. Felix is safe and so are you, so we’re all good.”

 

Slowly nodding his head, Hyunjin indicated that he understood Changbin’s words but still felt the need to give something back to the Medic. “I’ll stop thanking you, even though I’ll always be grateful but seriously hyung, I’d like to repay you in some way. Think about something that I could do for you. Oh, I could give you my blessing to date Felix. How about that?” Hyunjin giggled.

 

Changbin sat up so fast that the blood rushed to his head and made him dizzy. He choked on air and began shaking his head frantically. “What the hell are you talking about? You think I want to go out with Felix? What would give you an insane idea like that? I never said I wanted to date Felix. Did Jisung say something to you? He did, didn’t he? I’m going to kill him. Don’t pay any attention to that little snake. Why would he say something like that?...”

 

Hyunjin watched as Changbin began to ramble in an obvious panic. Was it that he didn’t like  Felix or was it that he didn’t _know_ he liked Felix? Hyunjin sat up and placed his hands on Changbin’s shoulders, telling the older boy to calm down, that he was just making a joke, even though it was a joke based on the way he saw the two boys always looking at each other. If Changbin hadn’t come to realise his feelings for the other boy yet, even though everyone else pretty much had (except for maybe Felix) then Hyunjin wasn’t going to push him into making the discovery. After Changbin had stopped prattling on about his non-existent crush on the freckled boy, they both laid down to finally get some sleep, although, it took Changbin a lot longer to fall asleep than Hyunjin because of the small revelation that was taking place in the back of his mind.

 

* * *

 

Jisung had never been a light sleeper but when he heard rustling just outside of his tent, it caused him to slowly sit up while rubbing his eyes. A silhouette was projected onto the side of his tent thanks to the moonlight though he couldn’t make out who it was simply from that. He shimmied out of his cozy sleeping bag and made his way out of the tent, only to see Minho positioned on one of the logs they had all been sitting on earlier. He stared at the older boy who seemed to be focused on his Katana as if inspecting it. Jisung quietly made his way over to the other but as he walked, a twig snapped beneath his foot, which caused Minho to jump to a standing position with weapon in hand.

 

Jisung raised both arms in surrender before chuckling nervously. “Woah hyung, it’s just me. I heard some noise and came to investigate but I see now that it’s only you. Um, can you stop pointing your sword at me? It’s making me a little uncomfortable.”

 

Minho’s eyes changed immediately upon seeing Jisung as he sheathed his Katana with a sigh. “Sorry, I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear you.”

 

“And you said earlier that I needed to work on my sneaking skills. I seem to be doing a pretty good job already,” Jisung whispered so as not to wake the rest of the sleeping boys though he knew that pretty much all of them wouldn’t wake up even if a meteor fell right beside them. “You seem kind of on edge. Everything all right?” Jisung looked at the other with slight concern due to his adverse reaction. Minho’s lopsided smile caused Jisung’s heart to skip a beat.

 

“I’m fine. It’s just that I’m usually very aware of everything around me because of my class but since I was thinking so hard, I didn’t hear you approach which startled me a bit, that’s all.” Jisung didn’t buy Minho’s lie but he felt like it wasn’t his place to push the boy when he didn’t really know anything about him. Once Minho had flopped down onto his seat again, Jisung sauntered over and asked if he could join him for a while. Minho motioned to the space beside him, indicating that Jisung should sit.

 

“So, I’ve noticed you’re kind of a reserved person. The only reason I’ve observed this was because I’m not really a quiet person myself, as you may have already noticed.” Jisung smirked at his own joke but Minho’s deadpan expression didn’t budge which caused the younger boy’s manner to revert to a blank slate.

 

“Yeah, I’m just not used to travelling with others so I don’t really have much to say. I tend to keep to myself even when I’m around others. My class doesn’t really allow me to get close to people. Occupational hazard and all that.”

 

Jisung tilted his head, perplexed. “Your occupation? What exactly is it that you do?”

  
  
The Thief didn’t miss the quick look of trepidation that crossed over Minho’s face before returning to normal. “Oh, I dabble in different things. I sell information that I overhear whilst staying in the shadows. I also pretty much have the same habit as you. Stealing things from unsuspecting people because the shadows allow me to hide pretty well. That’s how I get by. I know it’s not morally permissible but if anyone understands, it would probably be a Thief, right?”

 

Jisung knew what it meant to have to steal to get by. That’s the way he had started the game and it stemmed from how he had chosen to live in the real world too.

 

“How did you come to be assigned the Thief class anyway? I’ve heard about most of the other’s stories but not yours.” Minho seemed to want to direct the focus from himself onto Jisung. The younger boy looked slightly uncomfortable at the question that he hadn’t even told Chan, Hyunjin or Felix the answer to yet. However, the way Minho looked at him, Jisung felt the need to pour out his soul to the other in this moment; though he wouldn’t tell Minho all of the details, including the story with his brother that nobody else in the group knew about.  

 

“Are you sure you want to hear about my gloomy and sombre childhood? It’s not an awfully interesting story.” Minho shrugged, indicating that if Jisung didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t have to but at the same time showing that he was willing to listen to the younger if he did.

 

Jisung nodded and continued. “My parents weren’t particularly caring people. I do wonder at times why they even decided to have children, it was like I didn’t exist to them. As a kid, I used to constantly be in the emergency room because my parents would never keep an eye on me and I’d either end up burning myself on the stove or fall off of something I had the courage to climb on top of. My grandma seemed to be the only one who cared about me and she was always the one to bring me to the hospital when I got hurt, most likely because my mother was too high or my father was too drunk to notice that I had injured myself. She passed when I was five so I had to learn to fight my own battles.” Jisung kept his eyes fixed on the ground so he didn’t notice the intense look in Minho’s eyes.

 

“I always stayed out of trouble and did my best in school. I was actually top of my class for a number of years. I think I did all of this because I wanted some sort of approval or affection from my parents though no matter what I did, I couldn’t get a reaction out of them. I snapped one day and punched a kid in the face who insulted one of my friends. My parents were called to the head office for a meeting but neither showed up, so I was let go with a warning and sent home. When I returned, I noticed how the house smelled of weed and realised why neither of them came to the school.” Jisung’s tone began to wobble a bit but he quickly regained control over his voice.

 

“One day, when I was nine, I was carrying some books for school downstairs from my room. I missed the first step at the top of the stairs and fell. I woke up in the hospital three days later. They told me the only reason somebody found me was because a classmate came by to drop off my homework as I hadn’t turned up to school. The front door was left open and they found me in a pool of blood at the end of the staircase. That was the day I was taken away from my parents because of negligence. I was placed in the foster system and passed around to a few different families but none of them could seem to handle me as I was tired of acting like a goody two shoes. I broke and started hanging out with the wrong crowd. I stayed away from alcohol and drugs after seeing what it did to my parents, though I never had a problem with the snarky attitude and a lot of shoplifting. I’m pretty sure that’s where my class stemmed from. A thief in real life and a Thief in Phantasm too.”

 

Minho’s position hadn’t changed since the younger had begun his story. Jisung smirked at the serious look upon the boy’s face. “See? I told you it was a boring story. Don’t worry about me though, I’m doing alright at the moment. It’s just that...whenever Woojin hyung talks about returning to the real world, it makes me think: What am I actually going back for, you know? I don’t have anyone important waiting for me and since I’ve just become an adult, I’ll be kicked out of the foster system to make it on my own and I don’t know how far I’ll be able to get by myself.” Jisung hung his head as he thought about his past before Minho placed his hand on the younger boy’s shoulder, causing Jisung to look up.

 

“You sound like you’ve had it awfully rough and I...can’t imagine what you’ve gone through.” Jisung noticed the slight pause in the boy’s speech but quickly ignored it as he began to speak again. “It seems to me though that you’re doing pretty well with regards to the people surrounding you now. Your hyungs seem to take good care of you and you look like you get along really well with Felix and Hyunjin. That’s just an outsider’s observation though. I believe, perhaps I’m wrong, that the others wouldn’t abandon you if you were to escape the game with them.” Jisung thought about Minho’s words and realised that he was more than likely right. He had formed a bond with all of the other boys that would be extremely hard to break if they ever managed to leave this place. He prayed Minho was right as he smiled endearingly at the boy.

 

Minho tilted his head slightly as he thought. “You said you didn’t know why you’re parents decided to have children. Did you have siblings? Or was it just you alone in the house?” Jisung’s eyebrows shot up as he hadn’t realised his slip of tongue. He should have said a child instead of children and quickly corrected himself for Minho.

 

“No, no it was just me. No brothers or sisters. Just me, by myself.” Minho wasn’t oblivious to the slight agitation that laced the boy’s words. Jisung needed to change the topic quickly before Minho decided to ask anymore questions on the subject. “So hyung, what about you? How did you get your class?” Minho didn’t get a chance to begin his story, as a stirring behind them made both boys turn to inspect the noise.

 

“What the hell are you two doing up at this hour? Get back to bed. You’ll be too exhausted to travel tomorrow and I have no intention of carrying either of you on my back.” Chan whisper shouted at the two boys who grinned at Chan’s curly bedhead. Minho stood up and stretched.

  
“I’ll tell you my story another time Jisung but thanks for telling me yours. I feel like I understand you a little better now. See you tomorrow.” Jisung thought that it was an awfully unfair trade that he had told his life story but didn’t get one in return. He glared at Chan for the interruption which left Chan slightly puzzled as to why Jisung was looking at him like that. He pointed towards Jisung’s tent as an indication for him to go inside.

  
“Jeez, are you the new mom of the group? What happened to Woojin hyung? Has he been given the dad role instead?” Chan narrowed his eyes at the younger which made Jisung hasten his steps towards his tent. Chan stayed outside before he was sure that both Minho and Jisung were nestled safely in their beds. He wouldn’t let either of them know that he had been awake since Minho had left their tent and in turn, had heard the entire conversation between the two. He wasn’t sure if Jisung had wanted him to know about that part of his past yet and until Jisung told him directly, he was going to keep his mouth shut about the subject. Chan ran his fingers through his hair before staring at the full moon which had a shocking resemblance to the one back home in Seoul. He sighed deeply before returning to the tent he shared with Woojin and Minho and sleeping until the early morning.


	7. If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a good week. Just a few little notes before you start. Firstly, there will more than likely not be an update next week. As of Sunday, I am going on a ten day trip with my family and I don't know how much I will get written in that time so, to be safe, I'm going to say that I won't update. I'm really sorry and I hope you guys understand! Secondly, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have commented and left kudos or have simply read this fic. I love reading what all of you think about the story, it's a real incentive to keep writing when I know that at least a few people are enjoying it! Lastly, there is just a teeny tiny bit of angst here so, if you're looking for fluff, I suggest you run far away! Anyways, let's go!

Nobody was quite sure how or when it happened but their sleeping arrangements had been turned upside down. A mixture of strange dreams and murderous intentions caused the boys to switch roommates in the darkness of the night. At some point, Felix entered Hyunjin’s tent, before waking him and telling him about the psychopathic clown he had dreamt about that was out to kill him. Hyunjin was too tired to take in the boy’s full explanation of his dream so he simply dragged Felix down beside him and told him to shut up. Felix snuggled in between Hyunjin and Changbin while he drifted to sleep.

 

One thing that Changbin had learned about Felix that night was that he was extremely restless in his sleep, so when he kicked Changbin for the third time, the Medic couldn’t take anymore as he exited his tent to take Felix’s previous place beside Jisung. After ten minutes of Changbin entering the tent, he had fallen sound asleep in a very unique position, causing his usually loud snoring to becoming deafening to the young Thief who had just managed to fall asleep after speaking with Minho. He didn’t truly want to smother the Medic in his sleep, though he was really tempted at that moment and time. He knew that if he didn’t get some rest, Chan would kill him in the morning after warning him that he would have no sympathy for the younger if he was exhausted the next day.

 

Jisung moved over to the tent Changbin had been sleeping in but upon looking inside, he noticed Hyunjin was being pushed into the corner of the tent, with Felix sprawled out covering the rest of the floor. No matter how much Jisung wanted to sleep there, there was no room. He reluctantly made his way over to the older boy’s tent and shimmied inside. Minho was placed on the left side of the tent and was breathing softly while curled up. Woojin and Chan had fallen asleep facing each other but there was enough space between them for Jisung to lay himself down. He had brought his sleeping bag with him so he placed it between the two oldest boys and positioned himself inside. He sighed and began to close his eyes before a soft whisper hit his ears.

 

“Jisungie, everything all right?”

  
  
“All good, Channie hyung. Had to leave my tent so as not to murder Changbin hyung. So, here I am.”

 

“Why is Changbin in your tent? I thought Felix was with you?”

 

“I don’t know either. Frankly, I don’t really care. You told me to sleep. You should do the same.”

  
  
“Fair enough.” Both boys left the conversation there and took Jisung’s advice to go to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Everyone woke up well rested after a decent meal, conversation filled with laughter and a good night's sleep. Changbin was slightly confused as to why he had woken up alone, with Jisung filling him in on how he had come close to killing him last night. Hyunjin had no recollection of his conversation with Felix during the night and was disoriented when he woke up to find the boy lying on top of his chest.

 

It took the group around thirty minutes to disassemble everything and place it inside of their backpacks. Changbin made the point that they could sell all of their camping items in Aquiria if they thought they wouldn’t need them again for a while. They set out on the second part of their journey towards the city when they were all ready.

 

The snow had become lighter but the thick layer upon the ground indicated that it had snowed heavily overnight, though none of the boys had felt the cold that accompanied such weather as they slept. The crunch beneath Felix’s feet made the boy smile as, even though he had experienced snow a couple of times while in Phantasm, he hadn’t really ever experienced it in the real world. Snow wasn’t particularly common in Australia and it had snowed maybe twice since he had lived in Seoul. The impromptu snowball fight yesterday was something that Felix knew he would hold in his memories for a long time. He was so caught up in staring at the snow falling from the sky, he hadn’t noticed that the group had moved ahead quite a bit.

 

He put his gloved hand out to gather the falling snow but before he could grasp the snowflakes, another hand came into contact with his. Felix moved his gaze downwards from the sky to gaze at the person in front of him.

  
“What are you doing Felix?” Changbin’s bright smile was blinding to the younger boy, who was very aware that they were now holding hands. “You’re falling a bit behind. C’mon, let’s catch up to the others.” Changbin began to pull Felix towards the other boys. Felix noticed the rosy colour of the elder’s face and thought it was cute the way he reacted to the cold; though that was not the only reason for the glow on Changbin’s cheeks.

 

After talking with Hyunjin the previous night, Changbin began to think about certain things; mainly Felix and his cute freckles and how maybe Hyunjin wasn’t entirely wrong in his observations. He wasn’t quite sure what to do about this new discovery but then again, he wasn’t quite sure how he truly felt either. He was certain that the other didn’t have any interest in him in that kind of way, so he was going to stay quiet for the sake of their friendship. Being able to be close the other boy and being able to keep him safe was more than enough for the Medic.

 

Hyunjin noticed the two boys were missing and turned to wait for them, which the other members of the group did too. After rejoining the others, Changbin let go of Felix’s hand but in doing so, didn’t notice the frown on the other boy’s face due to the sudden loss of contact. Changbin’s assumptions about Felix’s feelings were drastically different to the reality.

 

The sun began to break through the clouds as the snow had stopped raining from the sky. The group was making small talk as they walked when Minho finally spoke up.

 

“Hey, did you guys know that there’s a festival taking in place in Aquiria over the next couple of days? Something about celebrating the start of summer solstice, though I’m not quite sure. I never really paid any attention to that kind of thing.”

 

The younger members of the group looked up at the mention of a festival and moved to walk beside Minho, with Jisung pushing Changbin out of the way to get closer to the boy.

 

“Wow, really? What kind of things do they do at the festival?” Felix’s giddy excitement was mirrored in the other boy’s faces.

 

“Well, I’ve only seen it once, when they held it for the summer equinox but it’s pretty much the same thing. The whole city is adorned with bunting and decorations. There are numerous stalls set up around the city which show items that you can’t buy once the festival is over. It’s so huge that people come from all over Phantasm to bring their wares, since they know how many people come to see the festival. The food you can buy there is pretty delicious and there’s wide selection to choose from. The main attraction of the festival though are the shows that are put on for entertainment. Innumerable stages are placed around the area and people put on different performances throughout the day. They generally use their class’ abilities to stage something. There are some that are prepared beforehand but there are others which allow anyone to take part and there are so many talented people. Maybe you should give it a go hyung.” Minho raised his chin towards Woojin, who laughed shyly at the compliment.

 

“I’m sure you’ll find something of interest there. Since you guys are so set on leaving the game, it might be a good time to upgrade your weapons and garbs since they generally sell for good prices too.”

 

Woojin glanced at Chan with an intrigued look in his eyes. Since they had obtained a lot of gold from their monster hunting earlier in the week, they thought this would be the perfect time to update their effects.

 

The three youngest boys began to chatter in excitement about the summer festival, trying to decide how they should go about seeing all of the attractions that were going to be displayed. Woojin and Minho were the only ones who had been in Aquiria before, so the younger boys asked them to show them around once they got there. Jisung bounced up to Minho, asking him questions about the city. Minho smiled at how excited the boy seemed to be at the thought of getting to Aquiria and taking in all it had to offer.  They continued to walk down the long road that would soon lead them to the coastal city.

 

* * *

 

A calloused hand came into contact with the young boy’s face, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

 

 _‘Don’t cry,’_ he told himself. _‘He’ll only hit you harder if you cry.’_

 

“Do it again.” The man’s rough voice caused the boy to shuffle away from him. He couldn’t do it again. He just couldn’t. He shakily stood up and placed his hands out in front of him, mumbling the words he wished he could forget. Nothing was happening. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want to do it, he physically didn’t have the strength anymore. He had been pushed far past his limits to try and perfect the ‘show’ he would have to perform in front of hundreds of people. His act would cause the onlookers eyes to bare into his soul. It would cause people to cower in fear and look at him in disgust but hey, at least it would bring in money for the group. He was a freakshow in himself and he wished that he could just end it all. He was tired of being in a place like this, with people pulling at his strings like he was some sort of puppet to be played with. Fingers threaded through his hair as he was yanked closer to the man’s face.

 

“Is this how you’re going to perform on stage? Standing there and making a fool out of me, huh?” The boy was sure he heard a crack as his cheek was hit once again, the man’s ring leaving an indentation beside the boy’s lip. The tears he told himself not to spill began to well up in his eyes at the pain that was now flaring through his face. He was thrown onto the floor again.

 

“You’d better not screw this up. And you!” While lying on the floor, the boy realised the man was no longer talking to him but to the red headed boy standing in the corner of the room as an observer.

 

“You’d better bring in a lot more coins than you did the last time. Your act has gotten better, more believable. Surely you can gather more money, right?” The boy nodded silently with his unfocused, glazed eyes falling to the floor. He knew better than to speak back. The bruises all over his body were a reminder that he had no power in this place. He was to keep quiet and listen, just as he had always done in his life.

 

“Sometimes I wonder if you boys were worth the money I paid for you. Your abilities are exceedingly rare and people will pay good coin to see them. Let’s not disappoint the audience, kids. I’m sure you’ll do great.” Wiping the dried, dark blood off of his knuckles acted as both a threat and an incentive for the two boys, making sure they wouldn’t let him down. He glanced at both of them with a smile before he left the room, slamming the door in the process and making the boy on the floor flinch. The silence was deafening before it was broken by a small voice.

 

“How did we end up like this? Did we do something wrong to deserve this kind of torture?” The boy’s black bangs loomed over his eyes, creating a shadow on his bruised face. The bespectacled youth in the corner gave no reply as he began to leave through the door the man had exited through earlier, closing it in a softer manner than the previous person had done.

 

The young boy remained on the ground as the dam finally burst and his tears fell to the floor. He hated this place. He had barely entered Phantasm before he was taken and sold to the highest bidder, just as pretty much everyone in the group had been. Nobody talked to each other, no matter how hard he had tried to engage in conversation with the other prisoners here. All he could do was stare at the bodies of the dead animals that surrounded him in the cold, dark room. None of them were going to move again, no matter how hard he tried. Why did he have to possess a class like this? All it could do was bring misery and sorrow. He curled in on himself and wiped his nose with his sleeve as he began to talk to himself. It was the only civil human interaction he would ever get these days.

 

“Don’t give up. You can do this,” he reminded himself. “Remember what they told you. You are stronger than you seem, braver than you believe and smarter than you think you are.” He thought back to his parents and his tears started to flow even faster than before. “Keep going Jeongin, you can do this.” His cries echoed throughout the room, though they would never reach the ears of anybody that cared.

 

* * *

 

The smell of sea salt in the air took over their senses as they entered the city. A grand, alabaster arch towered over them as they walked through the doors where there were numerous people strolling beside them to make their way to the festival. The air still held a hint of bitterness but the snow had melted away as the warm rays of the sun fell through the clouds.

 

Multi-coloured balloons were placed at the opening to each of the stores the boys passed, showing that they were getting ready for the celebration too. Stages and stalls were being set up along the path in preparation for the festival the following day. White buildings, which reflected the sun’s rays, lined each side of the street they walked down, with their shopkeepers calling out to the people that passed, trying to sell their wares.  

 

Woojin pointed to different stores and restaurants, indicating which he liked the best based on the last time he had been here about four months ago. He mentioned to Chan that this is where he had been before he travelled to Kihoj where he met Changbin and Jisung for the first time. Chan asked Woojin out of interest how long he had been in Phantasm.

 

“I’ve been here about five months. I think both Jisung and Changbin were around the six month mark. That’s when Jisung said that Joomi-ssi found him anyways.” Chan nodded in understanding. He had been here a little over a week and he was so overwhelmed by the place. He couldn’t imagine being here for half a year. Though, if they didn’t become strong enough to take on the Rautaja Fortress, there was no telling how long the group would remain here for. He shook his head to rid himself of the worrying thought. If the other boys were beside him, he was sure he would have nothing to be anxious about.

 

He followed Woojin towards the place that they would be staying. They began to walk through the door to try and find some rooms to lodge in, though they knew it would be more difficult because of the volume of people travelling to the city for the festival. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have too much trouble. Before they managed to set foot inside of the door, Minho called out to them softly.

 

“So, I guess I’ll see you guys around then?” Everybody whipped around so fast that Hyunjin was sure he had pulled something in his neck. Widened eyes fell upon the boy’s wistful smile as he began to subconsciously play with his fingers.

 

“What do you mean you’ll ‘see us around’? Where are you going?” Jisung questioned, with dread coating his words.

 

Minho frowned slightly while still smiling. “The deal was that we would travel together until we reached Aquiria and well, here we are.” He gestured to the area surrounding him as the other boys harboured a downcast expression on their faces. They were just starting to feel like they were getting to know Minho a little better and now, he was going away. They remembered Minho saying that he liked to travel by himself, so they didn’t want to keep him restricted by making him join them. All of the boys in the group seemed to be thinking the same thing when they wanted Minho to stay with them for a while longer but knew that he probably wouldn’t want to.

 

Out of everybody, Jisung really didn’t want Minho to go. After their conversation the previous night, Jisung felt a little closer to the other and began to realise he could probably trust the older boy. He had told Minho his life story and the boy had consoled him by relaying some comforting words, which he was exceedingly thankful for. It made him feel more at ease and slightly better about his situation.

 

Minho placed his hands in his pockets, as the awkward silence that filled the air became unbearable, all of the boys staring at him without saying anything.

 

“Well, thanks for letting me travel with you guys. I had a strangely good time. Not that it was strange because of you but because I’m not used to getting attached to people so quickly. Anyways, I’d better get going, I have some place I need to get to. See you, guys.” Minho turned on his heel and began to walk away. Before he knew what he was doing, Jisung leaped forward and caught his sleeve, which caused surprise to bubble up in Minho, himself and all of the others too. He quickly jumped back, letting go of Minho as he began to curse himself because of his actions.

 

“Hyung, we should all meet up tomorrow and you could come to some of the shows with us. We can all go and eat together too. Come on, it’ll be fun. Please?” Jisung’s eyes shook slightly as he waited with the others for Minho’s answer. Minho’s lips curled upwards as the suggestion seemed to be one that he agreed with.

 

“I would like that. How about I meet you guys here tomorrow at nine and we can get some breakfast? I know a great little place down the street that serves the best pancakes.” Minho didn’t need to say anymore. The mention of food was enough to get all of the boys nodding at his proposition.

 

“Great, I’ll see you all in the morning then. I’m looking forward to it. Bye.” Minho waved his hand shyly at the others while he walked backwards, still looking at the group. He was met by much louder calls of goodbye from the others.

 

“Bye hyung!”

  
“See you tomorrow Minho!”

 

“You’d better not be lying about those pancakes, hyung!”

 

Jisung felt a wave of relief that this would not be the last time that he saw Minho, though he suddenly wondered why the older boy had such an effect on his mood. It didn’t matter right now. The most important thing at the moment was that he was hungry, as were all of the others. They got lucky when they entered the first inn and there were a few rooms left. Woojin mentioned that this is where he stayed the last time he was here and it was so secluded and well hidden that not too many people knew about its location, which obviously worked to their advantage. They dropped off their equipment before heading into the city to grab something to eat.

 

* * *

 

Minho walked down the main street while trying to block out the loud chatter that came along with the festival. The colours, the vibes, the excitement; Minho couldn’t handle any of it. He was forced to come back to this place that he hated so much. It was too pure and pristine and Minho felt like he was staining the streets simply by walking through them. The blackness within him contrasted to the brightness that the city emanated.

 

Turning down a secluded alley that most were afraid to wander towards, he made his way to a rusted door and banged three times before a little shutter opened, revealing the piercing blue eyes of a woman who glared at the boy before speaking.

 

“Password?”

 

 _“Tuez seulement ceux qui ont fait mal.”_ The woman seemed to relax at Minho’s words and closed the shutter before opening the door and ushering him inside. Minho passed the petite woman, completely ignoring her greeting. He slowly descended the staircase before opening the wooden door at the end of it. Minho stepped into a bar where the air was saturated with the stench of alcohol and vomit. However much he despised it here, it was one of the only places where he didn’t have to hide. Everyone here was the same as him in some sense, though Minho thought himself somewhat above most of the others that visited this establishment.

 

Minho ordered a drink before paying and moving to a darkened corner of the room, which was situated by the grand fireplace. He sighed as he sank into the amber armchair which sported so many holes, Minho was afraid it might fall apart under his weight. He looked around the room and recognised a few faces among the crowd, not that it mattered. In this line of work and in this type of place, everybody kept to themselves. Well, mostly everybody. As Minho raised his glass to his lips, a tall figure stood in front of him.

 

“Well, shit, look who actually came back! I thought you were gone for good, man. Thought you said you were never coming back to this snake pit. What changed?”

 

Minho really wanted to pretend that he hadn’t heard the other boy but his voice was so loud that it drew the attention of other people around them, who seemed to grumble and glower at their nice, quiet down time being interrupted by a rowdy youth. Upon not getting a reply, the boy flopped down into the armchair across from Minho and stared at him until he started to feel slightly uncomfortable.

 

“Christ, Yukhei, can’t you take the hint? When someone doesn’t reply to a question you asked, it means one of two things. One, they didn’t hear you but since I was looking straight at you when you asked me the question, that obviously wasn’t the reason. Or two, they don’t want to answer said question. So piss off, would you?”

 

“My, my, aren’t we a little more high-strung than usual, eh? Come on man, you’re the only one who will talk to me in this place. Even if it is to belittle and insult me but hey, I’m used to that kind of thing!” Yukhei laughed which caused Minho to pinch the bridge of his nose. A migraine was coming, he could feel it. He had just left one group of overly excitable people and he just had to run into someone else like that.

 

“Come on man, you know I’m not going to leave you alone until you talk to me. It’s been nearly two months since I’ve seen you. Where have you been? How goes the hunt?”  

 

All Minho had wanted was a quiet drink but knew he wasn’t going to get that now that Yukhei was here. He conceded defeat and placed his still full glass on the table in front of him and leaned forward towards the fair haired boy who had a hint of playfulness in his eyes.

 

“I’ll tell you if you tell me,” Minho urged, causing the other to raise his fist to his mouth and laugh at the suggestion from the other but quickly agreed to the terms.

 

“I found pretty much nothing. Every time I got a hint to that asshole’s whereabouts, he had already moved on. Why is he so damn slippery? I guess this is why the guards haven’t been able to catch him yet. Damn, I really want this guy’s bounty too. One hundred thousand gold coins is a hell of a lot of money.” Yukhei threw himself back into the chair in frustration.

 

A sly grin crept onto Minho’s face at the sight of the other boy struggling to do his job right. “Wow, you’re really bad at this. You’ve found absolutely nothing?”

 

Yukhei’s eyes suddenly zoned in on Minho. If he was mocking him for finding nothing, then he had obviously found something worth knowing. “Ok, smart ass. You sound like you know all the answers here. So, spill, did you find him?”

 

“No. I didn’t find him. Had the same problem you did. Came close a couple of times but he always managed to escape.” Yukhei’s brows knit together at Minho’s words.

  
  
“Wait, you’re chastising me for not finding the guy but you came up empty handed as well? Jeez, I thought you found something interesting because of that tone in your voice,” grunted Yukhei, turning his attention to the blue eyed girl who had opened the door for Minho earlier. Their eyes met for a moment and Yukhei waved awkwardly, before the girl sneered at him and turned back around. Minho smirked at the boy’s pathetic attempt at flirting.

 

“I didn’t find him but I did find something interesting. I found his younger brother.”

 

Shock crossed Yukhei’s face, his mouth dropping open slightly. “Gyujin has a brother in Phantasm too? How in the hell did you actually find someone like that?”

 

“He has an almost identical aura. I heard Gyujin was spotted around a certain village so I went to investigate. I sensed an aura pretty much the same as his, so I assumed that’s who it was and snuck into the inn he was staying in to attack one night but the guy woke up before I could strike. I know Gyujin’s face and I realised that it wasn’t him. I questioned him while I could and he said that Gyujin was his brother. He also said that he knew why he was in the area. It was because he was after him, though I didn’t get the reason as to why because the other guy in the room woke up and I had to leave but I know it wasn’t a pleasant motive. I think Gyujin wants to off his brother and I’m kind of interested as to why.”

 

Yukhei nodded in surprise, his eyes still wide after Minho had finished his explanation but his expression soon changed to one of indifference. “So the guy has a brother, so what? You’ll probably never even run into him again. This is pretty much useless information to me.”

 

“Oh, I’ll see him again. In fact, I’m meeting up with him tomorrow.”

 

Yukhei was going to get whiplash if he kept turning his head a such a speed to look at Minho. “What?! You’re seeing him tomorrow? Wait, you told this kid that you’re a Tracker and that you’re after his brother’s bounty? Are you insane?!”

 

“I’m not as stupid as you are. He has no idea who I am. After that night I nearly attacked him in the inn, I followed him around for a while to see if I could get any information out of him on Gyujin. The group he was in got attacked by a Gollias and he was nearly killed. I managed to step in and save him and they were all so thankful towards me that they asked me if I’d like to travel back to Aquiria with them. I had heard them talking about coming here earlier so I mentioned that I was on my way back here too.”

 

“You try to stay as far away from this place as you can but you came along with this little group and for what? Just because you know Gyujin is out to get his brother, what exactly are you planning to do?” Yukhei couldn’t seem to read Minho’s expression, no matter how hard he tried.

 

“I’m going to use him as bait. If I stick around for long enough, Gyujin is bound to come after him and when he does, I’ll kill him and bring back evidence of that. I collect the bounty and everything is right in the world again. Should be pretty easy to convince their little group to let me stay. I think Gyujin’s brother has become kind of attached to me already.” Minho lifted his glass from the table to finally clear his parched throat.

 

Yukhei began clapping his hands together. “Well done, Minho, well done. You may have the blackest heart I’ve ever seen in someone. This poor kid doesn’t have a clue that you’re playing him like a fiddle and when you get what you want, you’re going to drop him just like that? How do you live with yourself?”

 

Minho didn’t. He hated himself and everything that he was but if this is what it took to survive in this game, then that’s what he was going to do. Minho realised that Jisung probably didn’t deserve to be treated this way but he also knew that he couldn’t believe in anybody but himself in this world. He had constantly made the mistake of being too trusting in his life, only to be let down each and every time and he wouldn’t allow himself to be toyed with again. He could survive by himself, just like he had always done. No matter how much he had sympathised with Jisung’s life story, it wouldn’t make any difference once the boy found out who Minho was and what he had done in the past. He’d stare at him with horrified eyes just like nearly everyone else did. Minho was used to this. He downed his drink, before banging the empty glass on the wooden table and standing up.

 

“See you around, Yukhei. Try not to stir shit up like you usually do.” Minho grabbed the coat he had shrugged off earlier and sauntered out of the room.

 

“Bye bye, Minho. Don’t break that boy’s heart now, you hear me? I’m sure he’s not made of stone like you.” Minho didn’t hear if Yukhei said anything else derogatory, as he let the metal door bang close behind him. He sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair, stepping into the main street again, where he put on his mask and allowed a fake smile to fall upon his lips. He had always been great at acting and lying. He had to learn how to do this to survive while growing up. He had to figure out how to smile through the pain he had endured so many times.

 

One hit. Two hits. Three hits. The leather belt came harder and faster on his back than before. He never remembered his father being gentle towards him nor his mother having the power to stop him when he turned on her. He opened his eyes as his past memories pooled in his head. Minho had always been able to hide himself behind a disguise. This job was going to be easy, though he found himself becoming slightly hesitant at the thought of harming certain people in the process. He quickly shook his head at the mawkish thoughts and reminded himself that he didn’t have time to worry about other people. He moved towards the edge of the city where he would be staying for the night. Minho wouldn’t lodge in the same place as the other boys. He didn’t want to risk getting attached to them, seeing as he was just going to cut them loose when the job was done and move on. After finding a room, Minho kicked off his shoes and let his heavy bedroom door fall closed behind him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jeongin walked around the garden of the house, brushing his fingers off of the petals of the dainty peonies that grew all around him. They were never allowed outside of the walls by themselves but allowed a constrictive freedom within the house itself. Jeongin needed to heal and the way he usually did this was immersing himself in nature. The songs of the birds flew to his ears as he raised his eyes to the bright sky, quickly closing them to focus on the sound. His quickened heartbeat began to slow its pace as Jeongin tried to forget about what had happened earlier in the day. He raised his hands to his bruised cheek and flinched when his fingertips pressed a little too harshly on the tender wound. He moved his eyes downwards and began walking through the wide garden again, taking in the beautiful flowers on display.

 

He thought that he had been alone, until he noticed the boy who had been in the room with him earlier sitting on a bench while reading. Jeongin couldn’t seem to make out the title of the book from where he was standing. He had tried to talk to him before, only to be ignored but Jeongin was determined to have some sort of human interaction in this damn place, so he moved forward to try again. The red head felt Jeongin’s presence but decided to disregard it.

 

“Hey, what are you reading?” Jeongin made a lame attempt to start a conversation while taking a seat beside the boy but failed miserably as he was still being snubbed by the other.

 

“Do you like to read a lot? I know there aren’t a lot of books here. You’ve probably read them all at this stage right?” Jeongin laughed a little but this didn’t manage to get a reaction out of the boy, who was still staring at his book like it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. Jeongin was beginning to get a little annoyed at the lack of response from the other. All he wanted to do was talk. It wasn’t like he was asking him to be his best friend or anything. Jeongin scowled as he stood up.

 

“Seriously? All I’m trying to do is make a little small talk with you. Nobody is around. They’re not going to reprimand us for having a conversation. Can’t you humour me a little bit?!” Jeongin realised this was the loudest his voice had gotten since he had entered Phantasm and it was all because someone wouldn’t talk to him, which seemed like a awfully stupid reason in hindsight. He thought that maybe he was starting to crack and that this outburst was simply the result of all of the pent up anger and frustration that was unable to leave his small body for such a long time.

 

The boy shut his book and looked up at Jeongin. “So, you do know how to get angry. I thought all you were able to do was cry. Your big doe eyes seem to amplify your tears when you do.”

 

He wasn’t making fun of Jeongin but simply stating a fact that he had observed. Jeongin quickly calmed down, a small smirk flashing across his face, showing his braces to the other boy.

 

“You finally talked to me. You’re the first person in this place who has said anything to me besides the guys in charge. So, you want to answer my earlier question? Do you like to read? Is the book that interesting that it stopped you from talking to me in the first place?” Jeongin began to sit in his previous seat, while the other boy sighed quietly.

 

“That was actually three questions in a row.” A glance was thrown towards Jeongin, who looked defeated and began to move to stand up but the boy quickly caught his hand and dragged him back down.

 

“Yes, I like to read. A lot. I spent most of my childhood in the library. I wasn’t really great at making friends, so I kept to myself a lot and read.” The boy picked up his book and showed it to Jeongin. “It’s called ‘ _The ones who walk away from Omelas_ ’. In short, it’s about a glimmering, seaside city called Omelas. The prominent characteristic of the city is that everybody there is unbelievably happy, despite not having kings, priests, soldiers or...slaves.” The boy cast his gaze downwards at the last word as he knew that’s exactly what he and Jeongin were: slaves.

 

“Anyway, it begins with the first day in Omelas in which they are celebrating the summer solstice with a big festival, kind of like the one that we’ll be performing at tomorrow. Everybody is living life blissfully without knowing the real reason why.” Jeongin looked more and more intrigued by the other’s explanation of the story and urged him to continue.

 

“The reason for the bustling city’s merriment and joy is because, for this to occur, a single child must stay caged beneath the city to suffer alone while staying in darkness and anguish. When the residents of Omelas are old enough, they learn the truth about why the city is so mirthful. The vast majority of people accept this inequity and go about their lives. The child has no meaning to them and as long as it is out of sight, then why should it bother them? However, some are so horrified by this fact, that they leave Omelas, never to return but nobody is entirely sure where they go. The book ends with a final quote referencing the people who left the city saying: _‘T_ _he place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.’_ ”

 

The boy finished his synopsis of the book, while Jeongin was dumbstruck at the story. The similarities between the book and their own lives was interesting to say the least. They were to perform for the summer solstice in Aquiria; a bustling city of light, where everybody seemed happy, yet they didn’t know of the children that were suffering so that they could keep being jovial. They had no idea about him or the other boy he was talking to that were prisoners within the very walls of the city. He knew that most people wouldn’t care if they found out. Slavery wasn’t legal or very common but he knew the people running this group had more than enough money to pay off whoever they had to, to keep a low profile. He just wished that there were people out there like in the book that were so horrified by their situation, that they would come to help them and take them away to the paradise that was mentioned at the end of the story.

  
  
After Jeongin had marvelled at the tale, he turned to the other boy that was simply nodding his head at his surprised features.“Wait, if you already know the ending, then why were you reading it again? Were you just using it as a prop so I wouldn’t annoy you?”

 

Amused laughter fell from the boy’s mouth before he shook his head. “No, I was really reading it. Like you said, there are very few books in the house and I doubt they will get any more, so I just reread the ones that are here. This is probably my fourth time reading this book. I just really enjoy it...since it’s so relatable.”

 

Jeongin understood what he meant but suddenly realised that he had forgotten an important detail. “I was so immersed in your explanation that I never noticed that I didn’t introduce myself.” He held out his hand towards the other boy. “I’m Yang Jeongin. I’m seventeen. I originally come from Busan and I’ve been in Phantasm for nearly a month and a half. I was only in the game for about a week before I was taken and bought by these guys.”

 

The other boy stared at Jeongin’s hand for a couple of seconds, which made Jeongin think he wasn’t going to take it, before he felt a firm grip shake it up and down. “I’m your hyung then. I’m eighteen. I’m from Seoul, I’ve been in Phantasm for five months and in this hellhole for four.”

 

Jeongin smiled at the human contact that he had gone without for so long. “And your name?”

 

“I’m Kim Seungmin. It’s nice to finally get to speak with you Jeongin.”

 

Jeongin’s cheeks felt sore but it wasn’t because of the bruises that littered his face but rather because of his wide smile that hadn’t made an appearance in so long. He was finally able to talk to someone who knew exactly what he was going through and thought that this would make living here somewhat more bearable. Though Seungmin seemed like a more introverted person to Jeongin, he thought that even a little bit of interaction would be more than enough for him. He let go of the other’s hand and let out a small sigh of relief.

 

“So, are you ready for the festival tomorrow?”

  
  
Jeongin’s smile faded quite quickly at the question as he hung his head in humiliation. Seungmin had been in the room with him earlier, so he knew exactly what his class was and how he could barely control it. He thought this might change the boy’s view of him but Seungmin’s opinion of the younger boy didn’t shift.

 

He shook his head and felt tears begin to prick at the corner of his eyes, though he didn’t want to let Seungmin see him cry after the comment the boy had made earlier. “I don’t want to perform. It hurts so much. The strain my abilities put on me is unbearable sometimes and I hate the reaction it gets out of people. They look at me like I’m a monster...which I am but having other people think that about me just makes me feel…” Jeongin trailed off which caused Seungmin to gaze pitifully at the boy.

 

“It’s not your fault that you were assigned that class. Your life must have been pretty hard before you came here, right? And you’re not a monster.” Seungmin nudged Jeongin’s arm, causing the younger boy to look up at him with watery eyes.

 

“Listen, we don’t have a choice. We have to perform. If we don’t or if we try to run, they’ll find us and drag us back here or even kill us. We’re nothing more than money makers to them. They don’t care.” Jeongin understood exactly what Seungmin was trying to say: don’t make unnecessary trouble. Keep quiet and do as you’re told. The red headed boy saw the look of apprehension on Jeongin’s face and thought he should say something to ease the pain in the young boy’s heart.

 

“How about we stick together from now on? If you need help or want to talk about your problems, we can meet out here. We’ll just have to keep a low profile and make sure those assholes don’t figure out that we’ve become friends or they might use it against us.”

 

Friends? Seungmin had said that they were friends. A variety of emotions bubbled up inside of Jeongin but the most prominent one was joy. He nodded his head emphatically to show Seungmin that he agreed with his sentiment. Seungmin smiled and began to stand.

 

“Come on, how about we go and practice for tomorrow? I think we have a lot to work on before the show.” Seungmin held out his hand, which Jeongin grabbed onto before being hoisted upwards. The two boys walked back to the bleak house together, with Jeongin feeling better than he had in weeks. He had found a companion to brave the storm with after so long. Jeongin walked slightly behind Seungmin as the entered the prison that they now called their home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were you guys really expecting a soft and fluffy introduction to Seungmin and Jeongin? You really should know me better at this stage. I'm so sorry...


	8. Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, surprise, I guess? Even though I’m just updating like I usually do. I managed to get some writing done during my travels because I really wanted to get something up for you guys, no matter what. I hope it’s ok for you. ONE THING ABOUT THIS CHAPTER AND I AM PUTTING IT IN BLOCK LETTERS TO FOREWARN YOU. YOU SEE THAT BOLD ARCHIVE WARNING UP TOP THAT SAYS ‘GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE’? THIS IS A CHAPTER WHERE IT COMES INTO PLAY. So, you know, please don’t feel the need to come for me afterwards, I’m giving you notice to prepare yourselves! As you’ve heard me say so many times before, I’m terribly sorry! Also, I just realized that I hit over 200 kudos. Seriously? You guys are incredible, I love you so much! If there are any mistakes this week, I’m sorry. I’m uploading from my phone instead of my laptop like I usually do. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

The boys may have gotten up slightly earlier than usual because of the thought of the warm, honeyed pancakes that they would soon be eating. If there was one thing that all of them had in common, it was their love for food. Jisung was particularly excited at the idea of once again meeting up with Minho, who would probably already be waiting outside for them. Dressing himself in record time, he made sure he looked immaculate before skipping out of his room and banging on the doors of the other boys, hollering at them to hurry up. When all gave a grunt or mumble to indicate that they weren’t ready yet, Jisung became antsy and told them all that he would meet them outside. He bounced down the stairs and made his way out the door; bowing to the owner who was sitting behind the desk reading a magazine. Jisung noticed the green ring around her wrist but thought he should acknowledge her anyway.

 

It was about ten minutes before the predetermined meeting time and just as Jisung had thought, Minho was already waiting outside of the inn for them. He was twiddling his thumbs and staring off into the crowd at all of the overjoyed people passing him. Jisung brightened up as soon as he saw Minho and crept down the steps so he could surprise the boy who wasn’t paying attention to him. Tiptoeing towards Minho in absolute silence, Jisung positioned himself behind the other and raised his hands to attack him. Minho quickly sidestepped, causing Jisung’s legs to tangle together and force him to go hurtling towards the ground. Minho quickly managed to catch the hood on his jacket and yank him back up beside him.

 

“I told you before Jisung, you really need to work on your sneaking skills.” Jisung pouted at the smug look on the older boy’s face. He debated with himself in his head on how the hell the older boy had even heard him. He couldn’t have but he couldn't have seen him either. Jisung thought Minho must have some extra ability to amplify his perception. He quickly wriggled free from the boy’s grasp.

 

“Where’s everybody else? Did you come down here on your own just to meet me?” The arrogant smile on Minho’s face sent chills throughout Jisung, who averted his gaze, furiously trying not to blush at the other’s insightful observation.

 

“I just thought you might be lonely waiting down here by yourself. I was ready before all of the others, so I came down. I can go back up if you don’t want me here.” Jisung twirled around before Minho hooked his arm with the younger boy and pulled him back, causing them to collide.

 

“I never said that I didn’t want you to stay. We’ll wait for the other slowpokes together.” Minho hadn’t let go of Jisung’s arm. He knew that what Jisung wanted most was the attention that he had been deprived of growing up so, to keep him close, that’s exactly what he was going to give him.

 

After about five minutes, the rest of the group emerged from the inn and were met with Minho and Jisung in deep conversation, still linking arms. Upon seeing the others, Jisung tried to jump away from the elder boy as he knew it would result in endless teasing but Minho kept a firm grip on his arm.

 

“Hey, are you guys ready to go? It’s just down this street.” Minho gestured to the distant cafe where there were to eat breakfast.

 

“Yeah, yeah, we’re all ready to go. How about you Jisung? Are you sure you’re ready?” Felix was biting his lip trying to hold in his laughter, as Jisung was still trying to loosen Minho’s grasp on his arm but failing miserably. Minho pulled him up and began to walk but Jisung was very aware of the snickers and wolf whistles that were coming from behind him. He literally wanted to die right then and there but couldn’t say that he particularly disliked linking arms with the older boy either.

 

The small brick cafe that Minho brought the others to was warm and welcoming. It offered numerous little tables that were surrounded by comfortable looking armchairs, which called for the boys to sit in them. There were a few customers scattered around the place, though most seemed to be requesting their orders for takeout; presumably to walk through the festive city before the celebrations began.  

 

The group pulled two tables together to fit all seven of them and took the menus from the waitress, who greeted them with a cheesy smile. The wide array of breakfast food available made their mouths water but Woojin warned them that they would probably be eating throughout the day since Minho said there were numerous stalls that offered different assortments of food, so they shouldn’t order too much.

 

Pancakes seemed to be the obvious choice for most as Minho had highly recommended them. Jisung ordered his with strawberries and maple syrup, as did Felix and Minho. Chan opted for pancakes with chocolate and bananas while Woojin went simple with lemon and icing sugar. Changbin and Hyunjin strayed from the rest by ordering french toast and cinnamon waffles respectively.

 

Jisung felt like he had left Phantasm and entered heaven instead. He would never doubt Minho again, as he had been completely right when he said that these were the best pancakes he would ever eat. Minho laughed at Jisung’s noises of contentment as the Thief thanked him for bringing them here. Minho caught himself when he realised that he was no longer faking his smile towards the younger boy and quickly shoveled the food into his mouth. He wasn’t going to wander into that dangerous territory.

 

Woojin stuck his fork into a piece of his pancake and directed it towards Chan’s mouth, who looked a little surprised about the sudden move. He ate the food that was offered to him, while flashing a small smile at the older boy. Woojin opened his mouth, indicating to Chan that he was to return the favour by letting him taste some of his pancakes, which the boy complied with. Hyunjin noticed this and started to feel like a third, or even seventh, wheel. Chan and Woojin were feeding each other, Minho and Jisung were giggling like schoolgirls in the corner and he didn’t even want to look at Changbin and Felix to see what they were up to but he was sure it was probably sickeningly sweet like the pancakes that were now cleared from the table. Sighing, he threw his eyes upwards.

 

“Alright, are we nearly done here? I want to get out and see some of these shows Minho hyung was talking about.” Hyunjin’s voice made all of the others turn to look at him, frowning at the slight annoyance in his words.

 

“Yeah, we’re pretty much finished. We should go and pay. Minho, thanks for the recommendation. If you have anymore places that you think are worth visiting, then let us know.” Chan flung his arm around Minho’s shoulders while they made their way to the register.

 

Hyunjin walked behind the others, before Felix caught his arm. “Jinnie, everything alright? You sounded a little irked back there.”

 

“I’m fine. You were all just being too lovey dovey and I wanted out as fast as I could!” Hyunjin had reverted back to his playful self now that he wasn’t being smothered anymore.

 

Felix grimaced at the other. “What do you mean? Who was being lovey dovey?”

 

“All of you were. You and Changbin hyung are constantly at it, though I think it’s become something like breathing at this stage. You don’t even realise you’re doing it.”

 

Felix dragged Hyunjin back from the rest of the group with a startled expression. “Me? With Changbin hyung? Are you crazy? He doesn’t like me like that!”

 

Hyunjin paused and looked at Felix with a vacant expression. He couldn’t believe that the two of them were actually like this. “You think he doesn’t like you? Ok, I think no matter what I tell you that you won’t believe me. Here’s a question for you then. He mightn’t like you but do you like him?”

 

Felix stopped breathing for a moment before answering. “Sure, I like Changbin hyung. He’s awesome and his skills are amazing.”

 

Hyunjin rolled his eyes at the boy’s obvious attempt to avoid the real question he was asking him. “No, Lix. Do you _like_ Changbin hyung? Not just as a friend.”

 

Hyunjin could see Felix’s eyes flash towards the person in question before he let them fall to the ground. “I...I don’t know yet. I think...maybe...I-I-” Felix was beginning to panic a little and Hyunjin moved closer to the boy and whispered.

 

“Felix, it’s ok if you like him. From what I can see, he likes you too. If you don’t know yet, then give yourself some time to figure it out. Don’t rush it and don’t get so worked up about it.” Hyunjin pulled Felix into a warm embrace so that he knew, no matter what, that he would be there for him, through thick and thin. He patted Felix’s hair and quickly detached himself so that the other boys wouldn’t notice and start to worry about why they were suddenly hugging. He didn’t want to out Felix’s feelings like that. He grabbed the younger’s hand and pulled him forwards towards the group. The others hadn’t noticed that they had been missing for the short period of time.

 

Felix’s heart was going a mile a minute and he prayed to himself that it would return to normal soon. The question had been sprung on him so suddenly that he didn’t have time to come up with an excuse. Hyunjin had the ability to see right through him and this instance was exactly the same. He knew Hyunjin was right though, he needed time to figure this out. After they had paid, they left the cafe to explore the scintillating city.

 

* * *

 

 

Jeongin’s breathing was uneven as he tried to calm his nerves. Even though Seungmin had helped him practice yesterday, he wasn’t able to get a proper grasp on his abilities, no matter how hard he tried. He had managed to succeed a few times but it lasted no longer than a couple of seconds, with Jeongin starting to feel dangerously weak straight away. He played with his fingers as he knew what would happen if he wasn’t able to perform. The beating he got yesterday would pale in comparison to the one he would receive later. He shuddered at the thought and captured his lips between his teeth, leaving small indentations. Sitting at the back of the stage alone, he wondered where Seungmin had gotten to. He could really use some reassurance right now. Others from their group were now performing out front.

 

A Black Mage was making fire bend to her will, while the flames danced around her feet. Her long, chestnut curls bounced as she moved around the floor. He had seen her at the house before and was pretty sure he had heard one of the men in charge calling her Eunbin. She looked breathtaking while she performed, which the audience seemed to agree with as it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Jeongin was mesmerised but his gaze was averted once he saw Seungmin come into view out of the corner of his eye.

 

He was dressed in all black, his bright hair being obscured by his hood. Jeongin knew the reason he was dressed like this and it made his heart sink. He knew Seungmin didn’t want to perform either but for a different reason to Jeongin. Seungmin’s abilities didn’t put much of a strain on his body since he had more time to master his class compared to Jeongin. No, Seungmin just felt that his morals were being played with when he was performing his act. He slowly moved over to sit beside Jeongin, who smiled at the older boy.

 

“Are you up next, hyung?” Seungmin slowly nodded, letting his face fall into his hands. Jeongin was very aware of the muscular man standing very close to them, keeping an eye on their every move in case they decided to make a run for it. Both boys knew better. Shortly after arriving, Jeongin had witnessed a young girl try to escape from the house, only to be dragged back by her hair by two beastly men. Her screams echoed throughout the house before they were cut off quite suddenly. Jeongin never remembered seeing her after that and that was more than enough incentive to stay put.

 

Seungmin grasped Jeongin’s hand. The two boys had only started talking a day ago but the bond that they had formed in that exceedingly short amount of time was strong. They realised that they only had each other and they were going to hold on for dear life. Neither of them cared that the man beside them was sneering at them, making disparaging comments about their intertwined fingers.

 

“Alright, you, up.” Seungmin felt a strong hand grab his arm and drag him away from his friend, who looked concerned at the harsh treatment. Eunbin had finished her performance, which caused the crowd to applaud loudly and scream how amazing she was. She twirled and bowed before turning on her heel with a bright smile on her face. As soon as she came between the crimson curtains, her face fell. Her legs wobbled a bit, showing how exhausted she was. Seungmin pushed on her shoulder to keep her upright as she nodded apologetically. Eunbin disappeared beyond the second curtain to return to the trailers that were situated out back where they were to stay if they weren’t performing.

 

Now, it was Seungmin’s turn. He glanced backwards at Jeongin, who seemed immensely anxious at the thought of his own performance. He had tried to help the younger boy perfect his act yesterday and Seungmin wasn’t sure why but the boy couldn’t manage to activate his skills to their full potential. Maybe it was fatigue or maybe it was the fact that he was so frightened by his own powers that, subconsciously, he didn’t want to use them. Seungmin didn’t have anymore time to think about the other as his back was firmly pushed to show that he was to go on stage. He took a deep breath before beginning his act to entertain the people.

 

* * *

 

 

Chan’s group had passed numerous performers along the main street. Woojin had noticed a small stage with a lone Bard singing while playing a mandolin. The young girl’s modulated, silvery voice had the crowd in the palm of her hand as they swayed along with the tune. Woojin knew he had heard this song before but couldn’t place it. He thought, perhaps, that it was from the real world but it had been so long, he wasn’t quite sure.

 

_This is my destiny,_

_Don’t smile on me,_

_Lie to me,_

_Because I can’t go to you,_

_There’s no name that you can call._

 

_You know that I can’t,_

_Show you me,_

_Give you me,_

_I can’t show you my weaknesses,_

_So I’m putting on a mask to go and see you,_

_But I still want you._

 

Woojin was drawn to the stage but noticed that the others hadn’t stopped, so he glanced at the girl one last time before moving on. Other performers called out to the group to watch them. They sauntered up to a stage where a young man was talking to the audience about his act. Chan didn’t hear what he had said but the boy began to shout some sort of incantation to begin his performance.

 

Fear enveloped Felix’s body as he recognised what the boy had been chanting. He moved slightly backwards, only to bump into Changbin, who looked at the other with concern.

 

“Felix, what’s wrong?” His hands were trembling as Changbin grabbed them, forcing the boy to meet his eyes. “Tell me.”

 

“H-he’s a Beast Master. I’m just worried about being in an enclosed space like this. How can this guy not be worried about the animals attacking the audience?” Felix glanced at the boy on stage, who was quickly accompanied by a Goyogae, a large canine with shiny, blue fur. It danced beside its master, as a beach ball was thrown towards it and it balanced the ball on its nose. The audience clapped along with the music but Felix still felt uneasy. A comforting hand suddenly snaked its way around his waist, causing him to look back at Changbin, who hooked his chin on the younger boy’s shoulder.

 

“Back when you defeated the Micarici in the forest, I told you I would never let anything happen to you while I’m around. That still stands. So, don’t be afraid Felix, alright?”

 

Felix allowed himself to relax slightly in Changbin’s arms. He remembered how he had defeated his first beast in the forest while Chan and Changbin stood beside him. They were ready to protect him in case something happened and he had complete trust and faith in the boys to do the same thing today as well. He nodded at Changbin’s words of reassurance and turned back to watch the rest of the show. Hyunjin glanced sideways at the two and noticed that Changbin hadn’t moved away from Felix even after comforting him, which made him smile at how they cutely they were acting, even if it was unintentional. The show ended after the boy managed to summon a few more beasts and took a bow with all of them by his side. Felix clapped along with the rest of the crowd and felt that he was completely safe and secure with Changbin’s arms placed around him. Maybe he didn’t need as much time as he thought to figure out his feelings. People dropped money into the collection basket that was being passed around, with Chan and Woojin adding ten gold coins of their own.

 

Once the show had concluded, the boys moved onto the next stage, which was the largest one they had come across. The crowd gathered in front of the platform was also the biggest that they had seen, which indicated to the group that this was probably a show worth seeing. Jisung moved up to a sign placed beside the podium and read it.

 

_‘Come and marvel at the kids that possess the rarest classes in Phantasm.’_

 

“Oh, this sounds interesting. Rare classes are always a sight to behold.” The group strolled to the entrance where they were asked to pay. Jisung realised then that only some of the shows were free and that they would have to pay for certain ones to gain entry. Once the payment was taken care of, Jisung grabbed Minho’s hand and dragged him towards the front of the crowd, ignoring the complaints coming from the annoyed onlookers. The other boys followed suit as they made their way to the forefront. A young girl was just making her way back behind the curtain and they wondered what kind of a show she had put on. Noticing the scorch marks on the ground, Minho came to the conclusion that she had been a Black Mage.

 

The audience was slightly startled when a mist began to envelop the area and a young boy stepped out onto the stage. He was clad from head to toe in white but Hyunjin noticed luminous, auburn hair peeking out from beneath his hood. The round glasses on his nose suited him perfectly and Hyunjin felt like he wanted to get much closer to see this act. He began his show, which involved him moving his hands slowly around himself. The smoke that had raided the stage in the beginning was now being formed into different animals and people that looked extremely realistic. He created tall trees from the mist, along with birds that sat on the branches while singing a melodic tune.

 

“Wow, this kid is an Illusionist? That’s an exceedingly rare class. I’ve never seen one use their abilities before. Everything up there looks so real.” Changbin marveled at the boy’s powers as he created a whole captivating scene in front of them. They couldn’t take their eyes off of the red headed boy, who seemed to be in his element while performing.

 

Everyone in the crowd was so mesmerised that they never noticed the boy putting his hand inside of their pouches to steal their hard earned cash. Not that they could see him even if they hadn’t been paying close attention to the stage. This was all part of the act.

 

Hyunjin gazed at the youth and all of his creations, before he felt a slight tug on his backpack and slowly turned around. Someone sporting jet black clothing was retracting his hand from one of the pockets in his bag where he had kept all of his coins. Was this guy seriously trying to steal from him in broad daylight with so many people around? Talk about having some nerve. He grabbed the boy’s hand and yanked it hard towards him.

 

“Uh, excuse me? What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Hyunjin eyes bore into the boy before his brow furrowed in confusion. It was the same person that was standing on stage at that very moment, though he was contrasting with the other with regards to the colour of his clothes.

 

The boy looked like he had seen a ghost. He didn’t even make an attempt to pull away. “Y-you can see me? That’s not possible. Nobody here should be able to see me.”

 

A breathy laugh escaped Hyunjin’s lips at the boy’s words. He wasn’t shocked that he had been caught red handed while stealing from someone but rather that Hyunjin could see him?

 

Suddenly, the illusions on the stage, as well as the boy in white that was orchestrating them, disappeared into thin air. Murmurs from the crowd erupted into boos, the onlookers obviously not impressed with the abrupt end to the impressive show. A suited man came onto the stage, apologizing for the sudden interruption and assured them that the next act would come on shortly.

 

Hyunjin realised that it wasn’t the boy’s twin up on the stage but rather an illusion of himself that he had projected up there. He came to the conclusion that while his illusions distracted people, he would steal from the unsuspecting onlookers. The boy suddenly let out a pained whimper and Hyunjin snapped back to reality.

 

“No, this isn’t happening right now. Look what you’ve done. He’s going to kill me. I lost my focus and the illusions disappeared. Oh my god, he’s going to kill me, he’s going to kill me...”

 

Still holding onto the boy’s wrist, Hyunjin could feel how badly the other had started to tremble. His round spectacles magnified the tears that were now starting to pool in his eyes and fall down his face. Hyunjin very quickly became concerned at what the boy was muttering and loosened his grip on the other.

 

“What do you mean? Who’s going to kill you?”

 

The red head looked up at Hyunjin, his eyes screaming for him to help.“The guy who took us. They call him Siwan.” He suddenly froze, stumbling backwards with a terrified expression after realising his sudden slip in sanity. “No, no, no, I shouldn't have told you that. He could come after you if he knew that I told you his name. Forget what I just said.” He tried to free his wrist from the other boy’s grasp in a futile effort.

 

“Shh, calm down, what’s your name? What do you mean he took you? Are you in trouble?” Before Hyunjin could ask anymore questions or the other could reply, a powerful arm grabbed the boy’s hood and pulled him backwards, causing him to choke due to the sudden pressure on his neck. Hyunjin reluctantly let go of the boy as he watched him being taken away.

 

“The boss is pretty furious with you, kid. I’d be surprised if you were still alive tomorrow.”

 

Hyunjin’s eyes snapped to the man who was dragging the boy away and his heart jumped into his mouth. Had he just indirectly caused some trouble for the youth? Hyunjin couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from the other being hauled towards the back of the stage, only to see the man who had grabbed the boy’s hood strike his face, causing him to fall down. Hyunjin made an involuntary move towards the two but realised he had no power to interfere in something that wasn’t his business, no matter how much he wanted to.

 

Sudden applause filled the air and Hyunjin was awoken from his momentary trance. He swiftly came to the realisation that nobody else had seen the exchange between him and the other youth. All of his friends were still staring at the podium waiting for the next act to come out. He was confused as to why nobody had heard either of them talking. The boy said that he shouldn’t have been able to see him, even though he was standing right in front of him. Hyunjin pondered on what exactly he could have meant by that.

 

Felix turned to look at Hyunjin while smiling at the show before seeing the distress on his friend’s face. “Jinnie, what’s up?”

 

“The guy who I was just talking to, did you see him? He was dressed in black.” Felix looked around him but quickly shook his head, showing that he had no idea what the other was talking about.

 

Hyunjin immediately looked back to where he had last seen the boy but he had disappeared along with the man who had pulled him away. Felix yanked Hyunjin back to look at the next performer but he couldn’t get the look in the boy’s eyes or his terror filled words out of his head. He seemed like he was begging for assistance, though he hadn’t said it outright. Something didn’t sit well within Hyunjin, not just about the treatment of the youth that had been taken away but about this whole show in general.

 

The next performer came onto the stage and Chan gasped at the kid that stood in front of him. The boy looked emaciated, as makeup was slathered on his hollowed cheeks in a poor attempt to cover up what looked to be numerous bruises on his face. Chan hadn’t seen the interaction between Hyunjin and the other boy but just from seeing this kid on stage, his gut began to twist into a knot as he knew not everything was as it seemed in this show.

 

A small, white cage hung loosely in the boy’s hand, which seemed to contain a golden bird of some kind though, from its lack of movement, Chan could tell that it was no longer alive. The Knight couldn’t help but wonder what kind of show this kid was going to put on. He placed his hands over the cage and muttered quietly, though it was audible as the audience was completely silent while they waited for the performance to really begin. It took a couple of moments for anything to occur as the boy continued to speak over the dead animal and whispers rose from the crowd as everybody wondered what exactly was supposed to be happening. Chan looked around at the others, who simply shrugged but his attention was quickly brought back to the raven haired boy on stage as he heard sweet chirps coming from the cage.

 

Loud gasps and shouts came from the crowd, confused words hitting his ears. The bird was now hopping around its cage as if it had not been lying on the floor of the enclosure merely seconds ago. Changbin brushed off of Chan’s shoulder, moving closer to the stage to get a better look at what was happening, with his mouth agape.

 

“Holy shit. Is this kid a Necromancer? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Chan looked at the Medic in surprise as the vulgar words fell from his lips. This wasn’t like Changbin so he knew that the boy who was performing held a very rare class indeed. Raising something from the dead was obviously something that didn’t happen very often, even in a world full of magic. The crowd weren’t applauding or congratulating the boy on his efforts but rather staring at him in disgust, like he was some sort of abhorrent monster. This told Chan that even within a place like this, bringing the dead back to life was seen as taboo. The other boys stared wide eyed at the youngster and his abilities, though they didn’t hold the same expressions as the rest of the crowd but rather ones of sorrow and pity for the boy.

 

The youth took the bird out of the cage and placed it on his finger before showing the crowd what had happened. No noise came from the onlookers and the boy looked slightly bothered by the lack of response. Nobody seemed to notice his legs begin to wobble before he took a step forward to steady himself. Chan could sense a feeling of protectiveness begin to well up inside of him, even though he had no idea who this boy was. The young Necromancer’s eyes began to flutter shut as the bird flew away from his finger. Chan didn’t need to see anymore. He roughly pushed past the few people in front of him and held out his arms just in time to catch the boy as he fell from the stage towards the ground.

 

“Hey, hey, are you alright? Can you hear me? Come on, open your eyes.” Chan lightly tapped the unconscious boy’s cheek, which seemed to garner a small response in the form of a groan. His eyes slowly opened as he began to realise what had just happened. A worried frown fell on Chan’s face as the small boy began to cry in his arms while numerous people surrounded them.

 

“It’s so painful. It hurts so much. Please, you have to help me. Don’t let them take me back there. I can’t go back. Save me, please.” Pleading through the sobs that caused his voice to crack, the boy raised his hands to his eyes to wipe away his tears, with Chan pulling him closer to his chest to try and comfort him in any way that he could. Doing this caused Chan to feel how skeletal the boy’s figure really was.

 

Swaying back and forth, Chan shushed the youngster as he tried to calm him down. “Hey, don’t cry. You’re alright. Can you tell me your name?” Chan could see for certain now that his face was covered in bruises and small lacerations and it was pretty obvious that these weren’t caused by training or dueling against monsters but from the fists of someone a lot stronger than the kid.

 

“J-Jeongin. My name’s Yang Jeongin. You can help me, right? It’s not just me though. There are so many of us back at the house. My friend, Seungmin, you can help him too, right? He was the one creating the illusions on stage before me. They’re going to kill us both if we go back.” Chan’s mind became addled as Jeongin tried to explain his situation to him.

 

Just as Chan was about to inquire as to what the boy meant, two men came running towards them, making Chan cradle the boy even closer to his chest. Fury filled their faces as they looked at Jeongin with distaste but didn’t want to make a scene since there were so many eyes upon them.

 

“Everybody, no need to worry. He’ll be alright after he rests for a bit. His necromancy skills just take a lot out of him. Come along now, Jeongin.” One of the men bent down to pick Jeongin up but the Necromancer’s vice-like grip on Chan’s shirt tightened, his bright eyes imploring the older boy not to let them take him away. Chan batted the man’s hand away out of pure instinct, which caused him to look at Chan with a horrified expression. How dare he deny him of his property?

 

“How could you guys let him get to this stage? The kid is far too skinny. Have you been feeding him properly? Plus, the contusions on his face don’t exactly scream that you’ve been looking after him very well.” Chan had no time for bullies who picked on weaker people, especially kids who couldn’t defend themselves.

 

The two brutes looked ready to throw punches but the second man quickly spoke up while adjusting his lavender tie. “I can assure you that we will take care of him later. Jeongin, you should really come with us. Seungmin is waiting for you backstage. He says he’s not feeling too well. If you don’t come now, his condition might only get worse.” Chan recognised a threat when he heard one and was about to clock these guys for treating a kid this way but before he could move, the grip on his shirt loosened as Jeongin began to push himself away and walk towards the men unsteadily. Chan instinctively reached out his arm to tell the boy to come back but Jeongin quickly spun around with a fake smile plastered on his face.

 

“Sorry about that. I lost my mind for a moment. I’m fine now, really. I’m going to go and see my friend and make sure that he’s alright. Thank you for catching me when I fell and thank you for coming to see the show. Sorry for letting everybody down.” Jeongin bowed towards the crowd that was staring at him. Chan didn’t want to let him go but he couldn’t force the boy to stay if he didn’t want to. He realised that he was going back to save his friend and knew that if he was in Jeongin’s place and any of his friends were in danger, he would go without any trouble to help them too.

 

He watched as Jeongin walked away from him and knew that there was nothing he could do. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and turned to face Woojin, who seemed to be thinking the exact same thing as Chan. The other boys of the group followed suit in their thoughts. They had all heard Jeongin’s pleas and knew that they needed to do something about this. They weren’t quite sure what it was yet but they needed to help this kid who begged them for help, like his life depended on it. As a matter of fact, Chan thought that, his life probably did depend on them and that scared him more than anything else. Before they left the area, Chan noticed the bird that Jeongin had brought back from the dead was now lying on the stage, completely still and lifeless once again.

 

* * *

 

 

A forceful push caused Jeongin to fall through the door of the trailer and collapse to the ground. He didn’t have the strength to stop himself before his face made contact with the carpeted floor, adding to the bruises on his face. Glossy, ebony brogues stopped right in front of Jeongin’s eyes, causing the boy to try and push himself slowly off of the ground but could only manage to rest his weight on his elbows while he raised his head. Siwan’s cold expression showed Jeongin that what he had feared earlier may in fact come true and wondered from the veins popping out of his neck if he would survive this assault.

 

“My boy, what in the world was that?” Siwan’s low and unruffled tone made Jeongin’s hairs stand on end. He would much rather prefer the older man to be shouting at him than talking to him in such a soft spoken nature. To an outsider, it would seem like the man was trying to comfort Jeongin after his performance had gone wrong but the naivety had been beaten out of Jeongin within the first week he had been in the prison-like house. He knew better and feared what came next.

 

“I thought you had progressed but it seems I was wrong. Such an appalling performance cannot go without consequences.” Jeongin flinched before he braced himself for the numerous hits that were about to come his way but he remained untouched. He opened his eyes to look at Siwan, who was staring calmly back at him.

 

“It seems that beating you isn’t giving you any incentive to do better so I think a different method is needed. Bring him in.” Jeongin’s face fell as he knew exactly who Siwan was talking about before he even saw him.

 

Seungmin was dragged in by his hair and brought to stand beside Siwan. Jeongin could see he already had a bloody nose, possibly because of how poorly his own performance had gone, though he hadn’t seen the reason that Seungmin’s apparitions had suddenly disappeared. He had failed just like him and this was something that was not tolerated in the group.

 

A clap echoed throughout the room as Siwan’s hand met with Seungmin’s face, causing the boy to sob and step away. An aggressive grip encircled Seungmin’s throat so that he couldn’t move any further as Siwan continued to strike. Jeongin began to jump up to intervene but felt that someone’s foot was now placed firmly on his back as he lay on the floor. It was Siwan’s turn to put on a performance and Jeongin had no choice but to watch as his friend was tossed onto the floor like a ragdoll. Polished shoes came into contact with the Seungmin’s stomach as he let out cries of anguish and teardrops began to tumble from Jeongin’s eyes. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t move the man’s foot from between his shoulder blades, so he resorted to begging instead.

 

“Please, stop! I’ll do better, I promise! I won’t let you down again! Stop hurting him, please!” Upon hearing Jeongin’s screams, Siwan’s foot stopped in the air when he turned to look around at him. Blood sputtered from Seungmin’s mouth as he began to cough strenuously, before he became motionless. Jeongin could see that his body had begun to protect him by shutting down his mind as he fell unconscious. Siwan wiped his bloodied shoes on the floor to clean them before making his way back over to Jeongin and bending down to lift his chin. Staring into his eyes, Jeongin could see that Siwan knew exactly which of his buttons to push to get the response he wanted out of him. He had figured out that he had become friends with Seungmin and used that bond against him.

 

“That’s what I like to hear, kid. I know you won’t disappoint me again. If you do, I won’t go easy on him the next time, understand?” Jeongin nodded his head, with Siwan still grasping his chin as a pleased smirk spread over his lips. The older man tapped Jeongin’s cheek firmly, knowing that it would inflict some pain due to the injuries he had caused yesterday. Siwan stood and gestured to his men that they were finished before they all exited the trailer to leave the two young boys alone.

 

Finding the strength that he needed, Jeongin placed himself upon his hands and knees and crawled over to his friend. He cupped Seungmin’s cheek and stroked it, pleading with the boy to wake up. Jeongin never thought that at any point in his life would he have his friend’s blood smeared over his hands. He wished that this was a nightmare that he could awaken from but it had gone on for far too long for that to be true. He bent down and placed his forehead on Seungmin’s, before falling downwards and beginning to snivel into the other’s shirt. A gentle hand came up to rub the back of Jeongin’s neck, with a quiet, broken voice telling him that everything was going to be ok.

 

“Heh, I was right. All you’re able to do it cry, Jeongin. I hate that it’s because of me though.” Seungmin tried to laugh before Jeongin’s fist tapped lightly on his chest, indicating to the older boy that this was not the time for jokes. They sat there for ages, with only Jeongin’s cries breaking the unbearable silence.


	9. No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next chapter for you guys. Hope you’re all having a wonderful week. Onto the chapter!

For others, the festival was a time for celebration and excitement. However, for Chan and the rest of the group, they had come home from the first day of the fete feeling overwhelmed and distressed. They could still hear Jeongin’s voice as it cracked beneath the weight of his troubles. The evening breeze fluttered through the open window to where all of them sat in a confining silence. Minho had joined the other boys in their room as he had been just as affected by the events of the day as the rest. Woojin couldn’t take it anymore and decided to speak up first.

 

“What are we going to do? We can’t just walk away from something like this, can we? That kid, he just seemed so...so…” He couldn’t seem to find the right word to describe Jeongin’s pain but the others knew exactly what he meant.

 

Chan’s gaze was firmly set on the horizon that glowed as the sea reflected the light of the setting sun. He felt drained and wondered if it was from being up earlier than usual that day, walking the entirety of the city to watch all that the festival had to offer or having to console the traumatised boy who asked him for help that he couldn’t seem to shake from his thoughts. He rubbed his eyes as he let his head fall back onto the wall behind him.

 

“I don’t know about the rest of you but I can’t leave this place knowing that this kid is being held somewhere against his will, being abused and from what he said, there are others there with him.” The stillness in the room caused Chan to look up from where he was sitting to see the reactions of the other boys when he realised their eyes were on him; their faces full of concern and unease.

 

Felix thought back to what it was the boy had said while talking to Chan. “He said his name was Jeongin, right? And that the Illusionist was a friend of his. His name was…”

 

“Seungmin.” All eyes turned to Hyunjin, who had his gaze set firmly on his fingers which moved in circular motions around each other. He couldn’t help but remember the name after he had heard it out of Jeongin’s mouth. The boy who had tried to steal from him, who had turned pale at the realisation that he had screwed up, who had silently asked him to save him from the people who had basically kidnapped him to perform in their show. He felt a shockwave through his body as he scolded himself for not being perceptive enough about Seungmin’s situation to step in and stop him from being taken away.

 

Sighing heavily, Jisung surveyed the faces around the room. “Look, I know you want to help these kids and I do too but we know absolutely nothing about them. We don’t know where they came from, we don’t know who took them, we don’t even know if they are still in the city. They could have already left after their show was over. We have nothing to go on that would lead us to them.”

 

“Jeongin said that they were being kept in a house. It made me think that they aren’t continuously travelling but settled in a certain place. Though, I don’t know if the house is within Aquiria or not so I guess this is pretty much useless information.” Chan shook his head as he turned to look out of the window once more.

 

The situation seemed hopeless. Chan knew that unless they saw these boys again, they had nothing that would assist their group in finding them and in turn, helping them. Hyunjin’s fingers stopped encompassing themselves as a thought entered his head and he whispered more to himself than anybody else.

 

“Siwan.”

 

Felix had noticed Hyunjin’s small voice and turned to look at the elder. “Who’s that, Jinnie?”

 

Nobody else had heard Hyunjin but they had certainly heard Felix, their attention immediately being drawn to him.

 

“Siwan. That’s the name of the guy holding them hostage.”

  
  
Changbin looked slightly confused at the new revelation and wondered how Hyunjin knew such an important piece of information. “Wait, you know the person who’s kidnapping these kids? Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

 

Hyunjin quickly shook his head at the misunderstanding and began to explain. “No, I don’t know who he is but I talked with the other boy, Seungmin, and he told me that the name of the guy in charge was Siwan.”

 

“You talked to him? When? Why didn’t the rest of us see this?” Jisung moved slightly closer to Hyunjin as if interrogating the boy.

 

“When he was performing on stage. Well, no, it wasn’t really him performing. It was an illusion. Though he was the one making the illusion so I guess he was still performing.” The Alchemist’s explanation made all of their heads spin before Woojin placed a hand on his leg and told him to slow down and start over from the beginning.

 

“When Seungmin came out on stage and created all of the illusions, it wasn’t really him. The boy in white was an illusion that Seungmin projected onto the stage. The real Seungmin was in the crowd with the rest of us. He was dressed in black and he was using his illusions to distract the audience while he...stole from people.” Jisung’s ears perked up at the sound of that. Instead of using stealth, he used his illusions as a distraction to steal. It was these little differences that separated the classes in Phantasm.

 

“Nobody else seemed to notice him, but I did. When I caught him, I tried to ask him what he was doing but he seemed so surprised that I could see him, though I’m not sure why.”

 

“I’ve heard Illusionists can make themselves invisible to others when they want to. Apparently, it’s exceedingly hard to see through their abilities, so maybe that’s why. It may be that you have a very keen eye, Hyunjin.” Hyunjin glanced towards Minho and nodded in understanding at his explanation.  


“Anyway, when I grabbed his arm, his illusions on stage disappeared. I was the cause of that. Once they were gone, he became really panicked and started whimpering, saying that someone was going to kill him because he messed up. I asked him who he was talking about and he said the guy who took them and that his name was Siwan. After he mentioned that though, he told me to forget what he had said because he might come after me if he found out that I knew his name. He was dragged away by some guy before I could ask him anything else and I saw him get hit before he disappeared. I wanted to do something then but I was kind of too stunned by what happened to react quickly enough. I shouldn’t have let go of his hand when I saw the look in his eyes; it was like he was asking me for help.” His hands came to rest in front of his eyes while Woojin rubbed a comforting hand up and down his arm.

 

Minho was unsure whether or not he should say something. He had heard the name Siwan before and it was rumoured that he was involved in human trafficking. He owned a house in Aquiria, though he wasn’t certain if this was the one Jeongin had mentioned earlier. The reason that he knew this though was because he apparently had a bounty on his head and a few other Trackers, Assassins or Bounty Hunters had tried to take him down, though none had succeeded but Minho had no clue as to why. He had to figure out a way to tell the others while keeping his identity a secret so he could complete his own mission. Though Minho may have had messed up morals with regards to certain things, when it came to people being abused, especially children, he wasn’t going to sit back and watch it happen.

 

“I think I may have heard his name around here before. I'm pretty sure he owns a property on the edge of the city. I don’t really know much else about him except that he’s pretty wealthy. After seeing the show, we can all probably guess why that is. He’s using the kids as pawns to make him money.”

 

Chan removed his gaze from the sea in the distance to stare at Minho and his admission. “We have a location? Where is this place? Could you take us there?”

 

Minho nodded his head warily but Jisung cut Chan off before he could say anymore. “And what happens when we get there, huh? We walk up to the front door and stroll right in while saying ‘Hi! We’re just here to take the kids you’ve been beating to a pulp. Don’t mind us and go about your business?’ We can’t be the first people to realise what’s going on in this house, yet, nothing has been done about it. There must be a reason for that.”

 

Jisung was right and Chan knew it but the intolerable pain in his chest wouldn’t allow him to keep sitting here and talking about the problem, he wanted to go right now and help them.

 

“So, I was thinking, why don’t we make this a covert mission?” Chan raised his eyebrows towards Jisung and his suggestion. “There are two people whose classes focus on stealth and suppressing their presence in this room right now. If we tread lightly, we could probably sneak into the house that Minho hyung was talking about and scout the place before we make any move as a group. We gather information and see what’s really going on in this place and if it is, in fact, the right location. Wouldn’t do much good to invade a house that wasn’t the one we were looking for.”

 

Minho knew that Jisung had been referring to the two of them when speaking about those who could go on this operation. Though he was not a Shadow like he had previously told the rest of them, he deliberately chose a class which was similar to the Tracker one which he really held. His class still focused on furtiveness but he didn’t use the shadows to teleport. Instead, he could see people’s auras and that helped him to identify the targets he wished to take down. Minho knew it would be relatively easy to keep his charade going even while doing an assignment like this.

 

“That...sounds like a plan. We shouldn’t walk into a dangerous situation blind, so Jisung’s proposal makes a lot of sense. Do you think you guys can do this undetected? We don’t want you getting caught and I highly doubt a place like that isn’t guarded.” Changbin’s worried gaze caused Jisung to laugh humorlessly before nodding his head, showing the Medic that he would have nothing to worry about.  

 

“Would that be ok with you Minho?” Minho’s head snapped up as Woojin asked him the question. He had been fine with the idea, already coming up with possible entry points based on what little he had actually seen of the house from afar. While he wanted to help the children that were trapped in the house, he also thought that this would be an opportune chance to collect the reward offered for Siwan’s head. Being able to kill two birds with one stone was something that was very appealing to Minho. With a determined look on his face, he responded to Woojin’s inquiry with a bob of his head as he turned to Jisung, whose smile of thanks caused Minho’s cheeks to feel a little warm.

 

“So, when is this little incursion going to take place exactly?” enquired Felix.

 

Chan and Woojin began to calculate the best time to infiltrate in their heads but didn’t have time to figure out an answer before Jisung spoke.

 

“Tonight.”

 

Everybody, including Minho, gawked at the young Thief in surprise. Jisung could see the alarm in everyone’s faces but before anyone could voice their opinions on the matter, he raised his hands and made an observation.

 

“I’m not saying we extract them tonight but we need to make sure that they are safe for the time being and get more information on the whole thing. If we wait anymore, we don’t know how much longer these kids will survive. Hyunjin, you mentioned that boy, Seungmin, said that Siwan would kill him because he messed up his show, right?” Hyunjin looked almost uneasy while sharing his memory but bowed his head to show that Jisung had remembered correctly.

 

“Right, Chan hyung, didn’t Jeongin say pretty much the same thing?” Chan nearly didn’t want to answer the question because, in doing so, he would make Jisung’s point valid and that would cause both him and Minho to enter the house so soon without any proper preparation.

 

“You say you want to save these boys but the longer we wait, the more danger they are going to be placed in. So, Minho hyung, should we start getting ready to go? You know where we’re heading, right?”

 

Minho couldn’t help but admire Jisung’s purposefulness and resolve while the younger boy stared at him intently, waiting for his answer along with the rest. “I’m ready when you are.”

 

* * *

 

 

The city held a different air about it once the people had cleared from the streets. Abandoned stages littered the area, emptied of their performers and audiences. Silence filled the air, only to be broken by laughter in the distance as not all of the residents of the city slept at this time of night but rather, drowned their sorrows in the closest bar. The dim street lights flickered as the two boys made their way towards their destination. Neither Minho nor Jisung had spoken since they left the other boys. This wasn’t because of awkwardness as both felt strangely comfortable in each other’s presence but rather because of the fact they were so focused on their mission.

 

Shortly before they had departed, the group gathered together in the room to try and come up with some sort of plan to get Minho and Jisung through the night safely. Minho informed the others of what little he knew about the house and the inhabitants inside. He thought to himself that this was probably the least prepared he had ever been when planning out a mission but he was up for the challenge. He also made the point in his mind that he would not be alone like he usually was, though he wasn’t certain if this was a particularly good thing. Drawing a rough sketch of the house and the surrounding area, Minho indicated where he thought would be a good entry point to Jisung, who was listening intently.

 

Changbin mentioned that it would have been useful if they had some healing potions to bring with them, in case any of the kids were injured in the house. When all of the others grimaced at their lack of elixirs, Chan enquired as to what they were talking about, since they hadn’t come up before. Changbin explained that, while magic such as his was a lot more powerful, not everyone had a Medic or White Mage on their team, so they had to resort to buying healing potions instead, which would treat basic injuries. They usually came in two colours; a cloudy blue and luminous green, with the latter being more potent. Quickly reaching for his bag, Chan took out the two bottles he had discovered on him during his very first day in Phantasm.

 

Changbin’s face broke into a small grin as he grasped the bottle sporting the green liquid. “This is exactly what I was talking about. Is it alright if Jisung takes this? We’ll pay you back.” Chan quickly shook his hands in front of him as an indication that payback wasn’t needed. He was just happy that he could help in some way. Felix moved a little closer to Chan and gestured to the other bottle, saying that it was a strength enhancer which also caused your defence to level up. Chan internally cursed himself for not drinking it that day in the forest. Maybe he would have stood some sort of chance against the Bafrer if he had taken it but it didn’t really matter anymore.

 

Jisung eventually stated that they were as ready as they were ever going to be under the circumstances. They weren’t going to bring any bulky equipment with them besides Jisung’s Daggers, Minho’s Katana and the potion that Chan had given them so that they could move at a quicker pace. They turned to leave as Minho waved but not before Woojin spun Jisung around and hugged him a little tighter than he usually did.

 

“Be safe, all right? Look after each other. If things look like they’re going to go bad, you two get out of there as quickly as possible. Do you hear me?” A slightly shaky breath drifted past Jisung’s ear, showing the boy that Woojin was more than a little nervous about what they were going to do. Jisung gently rubbed his back to tell the older boy that they would return with no problems. Changbin moved forward and placed his hand on Jisung’s shoulder but remained silent, as if his gesture was enough to convey his feelings. Hyunjin and Felix positioned themselves behind Woojin, who was still clinging to Jisung, while making hideous and nightmare inducing faces towards their friend to try and lighten the mood. It seemed to work as Jisung began to giggle, with Woojin looking slightly annoyed that he didn’t seem to realise the weight of the situation he was about to be placed in.

 

Minho could only look on at how much this group cared about each other and how much they loved Jisung. When Jisung had told him about his past, obviously omitting the details about his brother, Minho had stated that he seemed to be in a good place with regards to the people he had around him now and the scene in front of him only strengthened his point. Minho wondered what it was like to have people care about you. To have _anyone_ care about you. It seemed like such a foreign concept to Minho as he watched the oldest boy in the group continue to fret over Jisung. Being so lost in his own thoughts, Minho never noticed a presence beside him until he felt arms go around his neck and realised someone was hugging him.

 

“I thought you might feel left out if only Jisung got a hug goodbye. We hope you come back safe too, Minho. I know you’ll look after Jisung for us. We’ll trust you with that.” Minho was a little blown away by Chan’s sudden action and words. He didn’t hug back, as he wasn’t very much of a touchy person but he didn’t immediately move away from the contact either. He couldn’t remember the last time that somebody hugged him or if anyone ever did. Minho suddenly realised that he became too comfortable in the other’s embrace and pulled away while showing a small, awkward smile towards the older boy as a form of thanks for the words of support.

 

Jisung eventually managed to free himself from his hyung’s grasp before turning to Minho and heading out the door, with the others calling out for them to be careful.

 

Now that it was just the two of them alone, Jisung thought that they may as well talk, since Minho said it would take them about twenty minutes to get to their destination. They could have gotten there a lot faster if they had used their abilities but thought it best to reserve their strength in case anything went south later on in the night.

 

“So, hyung, how long have you been in Phantasm?”

  
  
“About seven months, give or take. I began it here in Aquiria. It took me a while to get my bearings but I eventually fell into the rhythm of this world and found my way. How about you?” A couple, who seemed slightly tipsy, stumbled across the boys’ path while laughing at seemingly nothing. They quickly apologised before they moved on, causing the two youths to look at each other with slight exasperation at their conversation being interrupted.

 

“Me? I’ve been here eigh- ah, six months. Yeah, I was, um, found in Haknal by this nice lady called Joomi-ssi. She took me in and gave me a place to stay so I had a pretty nice start to the game. I think I was pretty lucky.”

 

Jisung’s train of thought had been interrupted by the drunk couple and he nearly let slip how long he had actually be inside of the game. He had spent over eight months in Phantasm but the first two were spent in hell and he had never informed anyone about them. He had told Woojin and Changbin that as soon as he entered the game six months ago, he was found by Joomi, though this wasn’t the case. She had discovered him after he had escaped from his nightmare, though he hadn’t even told Joomi about what had happened to him and that’s the way it was going to stay.

 

However, Minho was nothing if not perceptive and had noticed that Jisung had made an error while he hadn’t been paying attention to what he was saying. He was going to say eight but had changed it to six, which made Minho think that whatever his brother was out to get him for had occured within the first two months that he was within Phantasm. He was learning more and more about Gyujin that may help him with his mission in the end, though he wasn’t going to let Jisung know that he had noticed he had misspoken.

 

“That seems like a stroke of luck indeed. How did you meet Changbin and Woojin hyung if you didn’t enter the game with them then? You guys seem awfully close.”

 

Jiusng went onto tell Minho about how Changbin had been a regular at the inn that Joomi had run and in the several times he had stayed there, they began to talk, before Changbin had asked Jisung if he had wanted to travel with him. He had become a little claustrophobic having to stay in Haknal all of the time so he had agreed. As for meeting Woojin, Jisung mentioned that while he and Changbin were staying in the city of Kihoj, Woojin was performing on the streets where they sat for hours and listened to him sing. After a while of listening to the Bard as the wintry breeze nipped at their ears, he asked the two younger boys if they were cold since they seemed to be shivering, though neither of them really noticed because they were so invested in listening to Woojin’s sweet voice. He had offered to bring them for hot chocolate before they began to talk and knew that he was someone they wanted to have on their team, especially since his end goal seemed to be the same as theirs.

 

Jisung concluded his tale by telling Minho about how he had met Chan, Hyunjin and Felix, with Minho being exceedingly interested in his stories, much to his surprise. Woojin, as the Bard, was supposed to have the skill of reciting captivating stories but Jisung seemed to have this innate talent as well. Minho didn’t realise they had been walking for so long until he noticed that they had already reached their destination.

 

“Sorry, I just ended up talking about myself again. I was supposed to ask you all about your class and why you are a Shadow but I guess it will have to wait until another time. Again. Sorry.”

 

Minho was confused as to why Jisung was apologising to him, seeing as he hadn’t done anything wrong. Minho had asked him the questions as a way of diverting attention away from himself in case he said anything that might give him away.

 

“No need to say sorry. You answered the questions I asked, that’s all. Ok, this is it. Are you ready?”

 

Both boys approached the mansion that was enclosed with a high, white-brick wall. Jisung tried to calculate the height, thinking that it must be at least fifteen feet tall, which would make it somewhat difficult to scale but not impossible. He wasn’t so much worried about making his way up but rather the fall they would have to endure on the other side. Fortunately for them, large oak trees were visibly poking out from over the wall which they knew they could hop onto and carefully make their way down to the ground below. Sharp, metal spikes sat at the top of the enclosure, which Minho thought most people would use to keep out intruders but re-evaluated his observation when he began to think that they were more than likely there to keep certain people in.

 

Very little of the house was visible from where they were standing and they dared not go towards the main gate in case they were detected in any way, so they made due with what they had. Minho tugged on Jisung’s sleeve as they both sunk to the ground and talked in hushed whispers.

  
“The plan is to scale the wall to the west, which will situate us at the back door but we won’t be going through it. I spotted a fire escape leading up to the second floor while we were walking up here and that’s our entry point into the house. I have lockpicks in my pocket so we can jimmy one of the windows open without breaking the glass. We don’t know where the window leads, so we’ll have to be really careful when we enter.”

 

Jisung bit his lip as he began to realise what they were about to do. His own safety wasn’t what was bothering him but the weight of the lives of the kids that he was going to try and save. What if they were found out? And if they weren’t, what if they left some sort of evidence that made it seem that those inside of the house asked them for help to escape? Would they be punished because of that? Because of them? The young Thief couldn’t stop fidgeting as he stared at the house. Icy fingers interlocked with Jisung’s, making him turn to look at Minho, who was smiling softly at him.

 

“It’s going to be ok. We can do this. We’ll look out for each other while we’re in here, just as we’ve done up until now. Okay, Jisung?” Jisung could tell that Minho wasn’t very good at this kind of thing. Showing his vulnerability and trying to comfort someone feeling down was obviously not within Minho’s repertoire, though Jisung appreciated the effort and gave a small squeeze to the other’s hand before they began their mission.

 

The crevices in the wall gave the boys enough space to place their feet in them, allowing them to climb up the sizable wall with relative ease. Carefully maneuvering around the spikes on the top of the wall, the boys estimated the distance they were to jump to reach the branch of the tree, which they quickly shimmied down. Once on the ground, both moved silently towards the fire escape, not seeing any guards or cameras in their peripheral. Their footsteps were inaudible as they walked up the metal staircase and positioned themselves beside the window, where Minho began to work on the lock. Keeping an eye on their surroundings, Jisung put his back to Minho so there would be no surprises like someone sneaking up on them. Within a couple of minutes, the latch on the door popped open and Minho nodded towards Jisung, indicating that they were in. Time for the real mission to begin.

 

* * *

 

 

From the outside, nobody could possibly guess how these kids were living. A snow white, gated mansion with a perfectly manicured garden fit in so perfectly within Aquiria but the inside of the house paled in comparison. While the upstairs of the house, which is where Siwan and the rest of his men stayed, was decorated beautifully, housing the best furniture, electronics and art that money could buy, the basement where the young performers stayed was comparable to a dungeon. Perhaps they should have considered themselves lucky as they each had a bedroom to themselves, though the small box rooms, which only contained one small cot, couldn’t have held more than one person anyways. Eight identical spaces housed the eight adolescents, the cold, stone walls dripping with dampness and mold. None of the rooms had doors but the large metal one which led to the floor above them was securely sealed each and every night in case any of them had any ideas about trying to escape. A few guards were placed around the house throughout the day but apparently Siwan thought the padlocked door was a better idea than having someone constantly standing there instead, which didn’t make a lot of sense to the young prisoners, though they were sure that there was some unknown reason the man allowed security to be so lax during the night time.

 

The open planned bottom floor of the house allowed the kids to move around freely into each other’s bedrooms each night, though almost none of them took advantage of this. They would rather keep their distance from each other, as some had gotten attached to people before but they had been taken away for a reason they would rather not think about.

 

This night was different however, as Jeongin hadn’t left Seungmin’s side since the incident earlier in the day. He hadn’t stopped blaming himself for what had happened to the older boy, no matter what Seungmin had whispered to him. The young Necromancer sat at the end of Seungmin’s bed and gently rubbed his leg in an attempt to comfort the boy who was still wincing in pain from the injuries inflicted on him by Siwan. Jeongin was extremely worried that Seungmin may have some internal injuries, which would continue to worsen since he wasn’t going to get any treatment from anyone in this house. He didn’t think that he was going to be able to get any sleep, even though he was utterly drained from his pathetic performance earlier in the day, as well as crying so much that his eyes had become red and puffy. Jeongin could hear soft snores floating in from the other rooms of the basement and knew that Seungmin’s condition wasn’t causing anyone else to lose sleep, just him. He wasn’t going to leave Seungmin’s side tonight, he had promised himself and Seungmin that this would be the case, even though the older had urged Jeongin to get some sleep, telling him that he wasn’t going to die and the he would still be there in the morning. It had been a joke on Seungmin’s part but Jeongin didn’t think it was funny.

 

“Jeongin, please go to sleep. I can feel you staring at me in the darkness.” Seungmin’s voice cracked, his raw throat still throbbing from coughing up so much blood earlier. He tried to sit up before Jeongin gently pushed him back down, telling him not to move around excessively.

 

“Please, just stay still, hyung. I don’t want your injuries to get worse.” Being the thoughtful person that he was, Siwan had allowed them to have a first aid kit on the bottom floor, which Jeongin had used to fix Seungmin up in whatever way that he could, though he wasn’t very good at it and caused even more pain for the older boy as he poked and prodded at his wounds. Seungmin had thanked him nonetheless and moved to ruffle his hair before he cried out in pain and Jeongin pushed his hand back down. Everytime Seungmin indicated that he was hurt, Jeongin felt his own body scream out in pain, though it was more emotional than physical at seeing his friend in this much agony.

 

“I’ll stay still if you stop blaming yourself for what happened to me.” Seungmin’s eyes had become accustomed to the darkness of the room and he could now make out Jeongin’s features as they crumpled in distress. “Jeongin, stop it, seriously, or I’m going to get mad at you for real.”

 

“Hyung, they hurt you to get to me. If you hadn’t become friends with me, this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe we should keep away from each other from now on. Forget that you ever spoke to me. They’re going to keep using you against me if we don’t stop this. Just stay away from me, ok? I’m- I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I-”

 

Moving at lightning speed, which caused him immeasurable pain, Seungmin jumped up and hugged Jeongin with all of the strength he could muster, which wasn’t a lot considering his circumstances. High pitched sobs fell upon Seungmin’s shirt as Jeongin wrapped his arms around the elder. They stayed like this for some time before Seungmin spoke.

 

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily. You started this friendship by annoying me with all of those questions but you are not going to finish it by simply walking away. We made a deal to stick together through all of the crap we’ll have to endure. This...occurrence was at the worst end of the scale but hey, look, we’re both still alive.”

  
  
“Sometimes I wish I wasn’t.”

 

The calm smile dropped from Seungmin’s face as he roughly pulled away from Jeongin, who looked startled at the sudden loss of warmth. “Don’t ever say that! Do you hear me?!”

  
  
The volume of Seungmin’s voice made Jeongin jump as he became scared that the others in the basement might awaken due the echoes bouncing off of the walls. Seungmin noticed Jeongin flinch and realised he had unintentionally raised his voice at the other boy before calming himself and continuing.

 

“Don’t give up on yourself, ok? You’re the only friend I have in this world and I don’t want to think of it without you. Look at it this way, if I think this much of you thirty six hours after being properly introduced to you, imagine how close we’ll be in the future. Don’t leave me here on my own Jeongin, alright? Keep going, I know you can do this. I’ll be with you from now on, through all of it.” He grabbed Jeongin’s shoulders to bring him back to his embrace upon seeing that the younger had begun to crack under the weight of Seungmin’s words. Jeongin slowly nodded his head, showing that he understood what Seungmin had been trying to say.

 

They sat in the silence that the night exuded before they were slowly shaken from their thoughts. A slight jingling made them turn their heads towards the noise, wondering what it could be. Jeongin motioned to Seungmin to stay in bed and that he would investigate. Peeking his head out of the door, he looked up and down the short hallway before his gaze fell on the wooden stairs leading up to the exit. It sounded like someone was trying to get in, though it wouldn’t usually take any of the men in charge this long to open the door. A soft clunk made Jeongin cower a little in the doorway as it gently swung open to reveal two unfamiliar faces standing behind it.

 

* * *

 

Luckily for Jisung and Minho, the room that they entered had been uninhabited, allowing them to step in silently. Without Jisung’s knowledge, Minho’s eyes illuminated, changing from a soft hazel to a brilliant gold as he activated his Third Eye and scanned the area for the auras of those they were looking for. Though, he quickly had to deactivate it as it consumed so much of his energy. He found around ten people in the upstairs area, which Minho assumed to be those in charge as he noticed eight smaller energies two floors below them. Though everyone’s auras emanated a different colour, another way in which Minho could differentiate people was the power that was discharged from them, so when he noticed that the eight auras below were barely evident, probably because of how exhausted they were, he assumed that these were probably the kids they were looking for.

 

“I would think that these kids are being hidden away somewhere like underground. They probably wouldn’t want to have them on the same floor seeing as they obviously don’t think very much of them. How about we check downstairs first and if we can’t find anything, we can come back up here. We will have to anyway in order to escape.” Jisung agreed with Minho’s suggestion, which the elder was thankful about. This trust that Jisung had placed in Minho worked to his advantage as he never seemed to question his proposals.

 

Cracking the door open, Minho held up his hand to signal to Jisung to stay as he looked around the area. Strangely, there was nobody wandering the halls. No cameras were placed on the walls, no guards were seen anywhere. Minho had seen the men with his abilities but all seemed to be spread out into different rooms. Were they all sleeping? Maybe this was going to be a lot easier than they thought. Pulling Jisung’s hand, both boys made their way into the hallway and quickly jumped over the banister, their feet landing like feathers on the floor below.

 

Minho tried to remember which direction he had seen the weak auras before taking off. Both boys had to marvel at the interior of the house, which neither of them would have ever been used to. High rise ceilings reached to the sky while delicate, crystal chandeliers glistened in the moonlight flowing in from the painted glass windows. The grand staircase led into the even grander living room, which Jisung thought could easily house fifty people with the numerous sofas and armchairs placed around the area. Before he could think anymore on the subject, Minho tapped his forearm and gestured towards a metal door, which clearly seemed out of place within the rest of the house.

 

Both made their way towards the suspicious entrance before Jisung’s hairs immediately stood on end. He quickly grabbed Minho and pushed him against the wall as they were hidden in the shadows. A couple of seconds afterwards, a colossal man emerged from the kitchen holding a small glass of water while yawning excessively. Thanks to Jisung’s speed, he hadn’t noticed the two boys, whose breathing had halted due to the shock. The man sloppily made his way up the stairs before they heard a small click, indicating that he had closed the door to his bedroom and disappeared.

 

The boys’ shaky breaths mingled together due to their close proximity as they looked at each other, with Jisung still firmly placed against Minho’s chest after pushing him against the wall. After the initial shock had passed, Jisung quickly moved away and apologised to the older boy for shoving him without warning.

  
“You’ve got to stop apologising when you didn’t do anything wrong. You just saved both of our asses. Thanks, Jisung.” While Minho smiled at the younger boy as he whispered, he was chastising himself on the inside. How could he have missed something like that? A complete and utter rookie mistake to become so focused on something that you lose sight of your surroundings. He had become so comfortable with Jisung watching his back that he had nearly messed up the mission. This was why he should keep working alone.

 

After they were sure that there would be no more interruptions, they made they way to the door that was secured with a padlock, which Minho thought would be child's play to dismantle. It took him even less time than it did to open the window and they managed to quietly open the door. Immediately after swinging it open, they noticed a pair of eyes staring back at them and their hearts flew into their mouths. Jisung reached for his Daggers but quickly halted when his eyes became accustomed to the darkness that the lower floor held. The boy who they were looking for was the one who had discovered them, which they were thankful for. They hurriedly stepped inside, quietly closing the door and making their way down the stairs.

 

Jeongin placed both hands in front of him as a warning not to come any closer, which both Jisung and Minho complied with.

 

“Hey, it’s ok. You’re Jeongin, right? We’re here to help you. We won’t hurt you, see?” Minho carefully reached behind himself and took the Katana off of his back, placing it on the ground and kicking it towards Jeongin. The young boy’s expression shifted to one of confusion before he bent down and picked up the sword while grimacing.

 

“You guys are here to help me? Heh, why would you do that?” A dismal laugh fell from Jeongin’s lips and Jisung wondered what it was exactly that Siwan had done to them for him to think that nobody was ever going to come and rescue them.

 

“When you performed earlier, you fell but someone caught you, right? His name is Chan and he’s a friend of ours. You asked him for help, for someone to come and save you, so we’re here to make sure that you were ok.” Jisung explained the situation to Jeongin who suddenly became rigid with shock.

 

“No, no, I told that guy that I made a mistake. You guys have to leave. It will be bad if they find you, for all of us. It’s really not all that bad here…” While Jeongin had begun his sentence in a raised voice, by the end it was almost inaudible.

 

“Your friend Seungmin talked to another one of our companions named Hyunjin. He told us the name of the guy in charge and that’s how we found you. He said that he would kill you kids since you messed up your performance. Is he alright?” Minho’s concern was genuine and increased slightly when Jeongin’s face fell and he looked towards the room he had emerged from.

 

“No, he’s not ok. He’s really badly hurt and nobody is going to heal him. Neither of you are able to use white magic, are you?” Hope flooded Jeongin’s face before both boys shook their heads and the flame in Jeongin’s eyes was extinguished. Pulling out the bottle Chan had given him earlier, Jisung held it up in front of Jeongin.

 

“You know what this is, right? It’s a healing potion. If you’d like, we can give it to you so Seungmin can take it. It should heal him up a little bit.” Suspicion clouded Jeongin’s features before Jisung sighed and pulled out one of his sharp weapons. Minho hadn’t noticed what he was doing until it was too late. A slight hiss escaped Jisung’s mouth as he ran his Dagger across his palm, causing blood to slowly seep out of the wound. Jeongin moved forward automatically, as if he was worried about the stranger in front of him. The cork from the small bottle fell to the ground as Jisung took a small sip of the fragrant liquid and wrinkled his nose. He had never been a fan of the mint flavour that these potions held. He raised his bloody hand towards Jeongin to show the younger boy that the wound was already starting to heal thanks to the potency of the elixir. Minho rolled his eyes at Jisung’s actions and thought that surely there was a better way to convince the younger boy that they weren’t lying about the contents of the bottle. It didn’t seem to matter as Jeongin quickly ran up to them and begged them for the rest of the potion so that he could save his friend, which they immediately agreed to.

 

Jeongin took off into the room he had emerged from earlier as Jisung and Minho followed. When they saw Seungmin’s broken form, both gasped audibly as rage filled them to the brim. Minho surmised that the sick bastard in charge had obviously taken out his anger on the poor boy in front of them, who barely managed to drag himself into an upright position as Jeongin pushed the potion towards him, urging him to take it. When asked where he got it, Jeongin gestured towards the older boys in the doorway, making Seungmin pull Jeongin closer to him as if trying to protect the younger boy from the strangers, who he obviously didn’t trust.

 

“Hyung, it’s ok. They’re here to help us. This is really a healing potion, I saw it work on…” Jeongin turned his head towards Jisung with raised eyebrows as he realised he hadn’t even asked them their names but that they had known what his was.

 

“I’m Jisung and this is Minho. Seungmin, go ahead and take the potion, it’ll make you feel better in no time.” Seungmin obviously had a hard time trusting people, similar to Jisung but he couldn’t blame the boy after seeing his circumstances.

 

“You met a friend of ours in the city today. He said you tried to steal from him but that he caught you before you could. You asked him for help, didn’t you?” At Jisung’s words, Seungmin furiously shook his head but slowly realised that they said they were friends with the dark haired boy from earlier who had been able to see through his illusions and looked so concerned when he had begun to cry in front of him. Maybe, just maybe, they really did want to help them.

 

Before Seungmin put the bottle to his lips, he offered some to Jeongin, who still had bruises on his face from the beating yesterday but Jeongin declined, saying that his face would heal quickly even without the potion. Seungmin didn’t want to think about it anymore as the pain flowing through his body was almost unbearable and thought that he would take the chance and drink the potion. He downed the bottle in one gulp and smiled slightly as it was the tastiest thing he had consumed in such a long time. He could feel all of the other’s gazes on him as a cool sensation coursed through his veins. The lacerations on his face were beginning to close up already under the bandages that Jeongin had placed on him earlier and the dull pains around his body began to decrease in intensity. With a surprised look, he gazed towards the newcomers, the corners of his lips curling slightly at the sudden improvement in his overall condition, which made the older boys return the smile as they also realised what was happening.

 

It took a little while longer for Jeongin to see the change in Seungmin before he met his hyung’s eyes and began to laugh a little when he realised the potion had done its job. He turned to face Jisung and Minho, quickly getting up from the bed and bowing at a ninety degree angle towards them. Minho moved to Jeongin and pushed on his shoulder, indicating to him that there was no need to do that.

 

“That potion probably didn’t heal all of your injuries since you looked to be in a pretty bad state before but overall, you look better than before. Just to make sure, it would be better for you to see a Medic in case you have any internal damage.” Minho directed the statement towards Seungmin, who scoffed slightly at the suggestion.

 

“You think the guys here will bring in a doctor to look at me? I have a better chance of sprouting wings and flying out of here than that happening.”

 

“We never said that you needed a doctor to come to you. We could bring you to see one instead.” Jisung’s words had confused the boys so much that they stared at each other for a long moment before turning back to Jisung to ask what he meant.

 

“It won’t be tonight but it will be soon. We’re getting you out of here. All of you.”


	10. By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Next chapter coming your way. This is a little bit of a filler chapter I guess? Apologies if its not as enticing this time, its a bit of a stepping stone to build to the upcoming conflict. It's nearly here so just bear with me for a couple more chapters! But hey, enjoy the fluff while it lasts! Not that there isn't some angst because, you know, it's me. Hope you all enjoy it nonetheless and I hope you're all having a great week!

The pale moon hung over the tall buildings as its light bounced off of the waves, providing enough light for Woojin to glance over the city. He had positioned himself at the window after Jisung and Minho had left and watched them walk away into an unknown danger. Pessimistic thoughts crowded his head as he shuddered at the idea of something going wrong. Woojin had told himself that this is where he would stay until he saw the two boys coming back to them safely and unharmed. But what if they didn’t? The Bard scrunched his eyes shut and shook his head before he let it fall into his hands due to the weight of his thoughts. He didn’t want to lose the people that he cared about, not again. 

 

“Woojin, are you alright?” The cushioned seat dipped beside him as Chan placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him to look up. 

 

“No, not really. I feel like I’m going to throw up. Heh, I really am the mom of the group, aren’t I?” Woojin laughed, though it was broken by nervousness, making Chan gaze pitifully at the boy.

 

“Jisung actually told me that I was the mom a little while ago and that you now possessed the dad role. We may have to ask the others to take a vote on such an important decision.” Chan was obviously trying to lift Woojin’s mood and it was working but only to a certain extent.

 

“Look, there’s nothing wrong with being anxious about their safety. I am too and so are Changbin, Felix and Hyunjin.” Both of them looked over at the three boys whose limbs were all tangled together as they slept on the single bed. Though they had wanted to stay up and wait for the others to come back, both Woojin and Chan had forced them to sleep, saying that they would keep a look out and inform them when Jisung and Minho returned. They knew better than to argue but stated that they didn’t want to return to their own rooms, so they compromised and slept in Woojin and Chan’s room instead. Changbin had positioned himself in the middle of the compact bed between the two boys, his chest slowly rising and falling as he slept soundly. Hyunjin snored quietly with the older boy’s left arm around him as Felix snuggled safely into Changbin’s chest on his right side, with the Medic’s head lolling onto the freckled youth’s mop of golden hair. To the eldest boys, it didn’t look like the most comfortable way to sleep but they couldn’t help but smile at how close they had all become in such a short amount of time. 

 

At a small noise in the street, Woojin spun his head around to investigate, only to see a stray cat run away from an darkened alleyway where it had knocked over a trash can. He deflated before he heard Chan chuckle slightly. 

 

“They’ve only been gone forty minutes, I don’t think they’d be coming back just yet. Woojin, take deep breaths and try not to think the worst. Jisung and Minho are both intelligent and talented in their classes. They know the risks of this mission and because of that, they will be even more careful than they usually are. They will come back safely to us, so don’t worry, ok?” 

 

Woojin was thankful for Chan’s attempt at trying to make him feel better but until he saw his friends again, nothing would stop him from agonising over their absence. Chan placed a hand on his leg and patted it with a smile that Woojin felt drawn in by and couldn’t seem to look away from. 

 

“I wasn’t always this uptight, just so you know. I just don’t want to lose even more people that I care about to this stupid game. I don’t think I can handle going through that again.” 

 

Chan’s heart sank at the expression on Woojin’s face and wondered whether or not he should enquire as to what he was talking about but decided to take the plunge in the end. 

 

“Again? You’ve lost others in Phantasm before?” 

 

“I didn’t meet Jisung and Changbin until about three months ago when I was performing in Kihoj on the streets and they asked me to join their group. Before that, I was with other people that took me in when they discovered I was new to the game. They were like an older brother and sister to me. Moonbyul had a tendency to be hyperactive but she was extremely courageous. Seunghoon was a bit calmer and more collected but both cared for me equally in the short amount of time that they knew me. They discovered me fairly dazed just outside of Morthan before they took me in since they knew what it was like to be alone when entering Phantasm. There was an instant connection and I felt completely and utterly safe within their group. Seunghoon reminded me so much of my older brother that I wanted to stay around him as much as I could. Moonbyul gave the best hugs and made me feel like she would protect me from whatever harm came my way...which she did.” The last three words caused Woojin to bite his lip hard enough to worry Chan that he might break the skin.

 

“We travelled around for a little while as they tried to help me discover my abilities and get used to them. I was painstakingly slow at trying to get the hang of magic even though Moonbyul did her best to teach me. After a while, we made our way here, to Aquiria and we thought that it would be a nice, relaxing break from working so hard.” 

 

The way he had ended the sentence showed Chan that this was not, in fact, what happened but rather Woojin’s worst nightmare come true. 

 

“We wandered outside of the city gates on our third day here to gather some materials for Moonbyul as she liked to make potions in her spare time while myself and Seunghoon would stand guard. We were too lost in a conversation and we didn’t notice we were being ambushed until it was too late. I was still so inexperienced at the time that I couldn't do much in the way of fighting, so I was a complete and utter burden to them which resulted in…” Chan could see that Woojin was having a difficult time in trying to find the right words to describe the scene that seemed to be playing in his mind. He clasped the older boy’s hand and intertwined their fingers, trying to ease the pain in Woojin’s heart. 

 

“They were both killed trying to protect me. There were maybe five or six attackers, which Seunghoon managed to fend off pretty well until he was too distracted and one charged towards me. Moonbyul couldn’t manage to conjure a spell in time, so she shielded me with her body instead. Chan, there was so much blood and no matter what songs I sang, it wouldn’t stop. I held onto her until she took her last breath. Seunghoon was so shocked at the loss of his best friend, even though he was trying his best to protect her, that he lost his focus as the last of the enemies attacked him and shoved a sword right through his heart. I wanted to go to him but he shouted at me to keep looking after Moonbyul, even though she was long gone. I thought my time was up too but the guards from the gates of Aquiria arrived just in time after seeing the events unfold in front of them. They took down the last attacker before he could make his way over to me. It’s strange though, all of the guards were NPC’s yet they ran over to help me. Seems like whoever designed this place has some sense of morality though, when you think about how they didn’t stop my friends from being killed, it makes you wonder where they draw the line.” 

 

Chan’s eyes hadn’t left Woojin’s bowed head since he began his tale. He thought back to his life story that he had told him in Haknal and cursed whoever was out there for making someone as sweet as Woojin suffer this much.

 

“I stayed in Aquiria for a couple more days so that I could bury my friends. After that, I didn’t want to travel with anyone. I didn’t want to go through that heartbreak again but when I saw Jisung and Changbin listening to me on the street, they looked so interested in my singing and I couldn’t help but notice myself in them. I was only supposed to take them for a warm drink because they had endured the harsh wind to listen to me but in the end, they managed to convince me to go with them. I thought maybe, after slowly starting to heal, I could find it within myself to travel with others again. Yet, here I am, being helpless as my friends rush into danger. What if they don’t come back?” 

 

While still holding his hand, Chan gently pulled at Woojin so that they fell into each other’s arms. 

 

“Channie? What-?”   
  


“Just humour me for a little bit.” They stayed closely wrapped around each other for what seemed like hours, with Woojin feeling like this was the place where he belonged, right here in Chan’s arms. When they seperated, their backs fell against the closed window and Woojin allowed his head to rest upon Chan’s shoulder. 

 

“I thought you wanted to stay awake until the kids came back?” 

 

Woojin hadn’t realised he had closed his eyes until Chan spoke. “I’m not going to sleep, I’m just resting my eyes. I feel unusually comfortable right now.”

 

“Woojin, you’re exhausted. The sun will be coming up soon. Try to get even thirty minutes of sleep and if they return in the meantime, I promise that I will wake you and the others.” Chan’s cheek had fallen upon the top of older boy’s head while it was still securely placed on his shoulder. 

 

“No, I-I want to stay up until I know t-that they’re safe…” Yawns interrupted the boy’s words as Chan giggled at Woojin’s sad attempt to keep his eyes open. Shortly afterwards, shallow breaths indicated to Chan that Woojin’s efforts had become futile as sleep snatched him away. 

 

Chan was used to working through the night on the songs that he produced and had often been awake to see the sunrise, so staying up while the others slept wasn’t a big deal. He craned his neck as much as he could to see the sun peaking over the horizon, signaling the start of a new day. After about twenty minutes of staring out the window, he noticed the doors of stores around the city begin to open as the shopkeepers prepared for the second day of the festival which would soon begin. He saw neighbours wave to each other, smiles plastered on their faces as they bent down to collect the bottles of milk left by their doorstep as well as the newspaper which was probably filled with stories about the festival from the day before. This really did seem like the perfect place to live but Chan now knew about the dark secrets that were kept within the very walls of the city and couldn’t look at it the same way again. 

 

Chan’s eyes widened before a sense of relief flew throughout his body and he smiled. Turning around to gaze at the sleeping boy on his shoulder, he gently nudged Woojin from his slumber, the older boy grunting something about wanting ‘five more minutes’. 

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you would want me to wake you when Jisung and Minho got back.” 

 

If anyone had ever wanted to know what someone moving at the speed of light looked like, Woojin’s reaction was the best thing to observe. His eyes flew to Chan for an explanation as the two boys were not in the room yet. Chan gestured out the window onto the ground below where Woojin was now able to make out both Minho and Jisung making their way up to the inn, completely safe and unharmed.  

 

* * *

 

Seungmin’s hand swept through the sleeping boy’s hair as he gazed at Jeongin with a fond smile. He was now resting on Seungmin’s bed after the strange events of the night just passed. Never in their wildest dreams did they ever think that someone would break into the house to come and help them but yet, they had. He wasn’t completely back to normal but Seungmin’s condition had improved substantially since he had taken the potion that their soon-to-be saviours had brought with them. Though this was the case, it didn’t cure the fatigue that enveloped his head but he couldn’t go to sleep now as he knew their morning wake up call would be coming momentarily. He heard stirs from the other rooms as some of the other kids here were so used to being woken up at the same time every morning, that their own internal alarm clock roused them before anyone else did. 

 

He didn’t want to but he thought it better to wake Jeongin up himself rather than have strong hands that belonged to one of the brutes that ran this place grab at him and pull him from the bed. Gently shaking his leg, Seungmin managed to get Jeongin up, who immediately went to check on Seungmin’s wounds, making the older boy laugh in disbelief. Most of them had already closed up but Seungmin had stated that it would be smarter to keep the bandages that Jeongin had put on him yesterday on his face in case Siwan got too suspicious as to why his wounds had healed so fast when there was nobody in the house that could have cured him. Both boys assumed that the intruders from last night had escaped the house safely since no noise of disruption had come from upstairs after they had left, which they were thankful for. 

 

The sound of keys jangling told the two boys that it was time to get up as the entrance to their prison swung open. Luckily, Minho had remembered to lock the door again after they had closed it, as well as the window they had entered from. Jeongin jumped up and sprinted back to his own room so that he didn’t alert whoever was coming down stairs that he had slept in room other than his own. He really didn’t want to give those in charge any more reason to use Seungmin against him. Booming footsteps pounded down the stairs just as Jeongin walked through his bedroom door. 

 

“Everyone up! Be dressed and ready to go in twenty minutes.” Seungmin was thankful that he didn’t have to perform today but some of the others in the house did since their show had been cut short due to Jeongin’s fall from the stage yesterday but they would still have to travel into the city as they would never be left alone in the house by themselves. They would probably just sit in the trailers and perhaps, if they were lucky, be allowed to engage in some light conversation, though neither he nor Jeongin would talk about what happened last night. That was a secret they were to keep to themselves for the time being. Seungmin quickly washed and dressed himself before strolling out to Jeongin’s door where the other boy was just finishing up. 

 

“Ready to go?”

  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I’m ready.” Jeongin quickly tied his shoelaces before jumping up to face Seungmin. Moving as close as he could without arousing suspicion from the man waiting for them or the other kids, Jeongin began to whisper. “You think they’ll really come back again tomorrow night for us, hyung?”

 

Seungmin could only shrug since he really didn’t want to get his hopes up only to have them crushed. He wanted to believe that what Jisung and Minho had told them was true, that they would come back again tomorrow night to finally get them out of this place. The only problem was the risky conditions of the extraction which they had to complete from the inside and whether or not they could get the others to believe them. Though, the fear of failure was overcome by the thoughts of possible freedom and he was going to try with all of his might to get everyone out of here. 

 

“I don’t know for sure Jeongin but all we can do is pray that this plan works.” The younger boy nodded in agreement as they were ushered out the door to travel to the inner city.

 

* * *

Minho was glad that their infiltration had gone smoothly without either of them getting hurt and that they seemed to have helped Jeongin and Seungmin in whatever little way that they could. They had relayed their plan to the younger boys and hoped that they would be ready to go when the time came. 

 

Jisung’s arm was slung around Minho’s shoulders, which the elder didn’t shrug off as they had almost arrived back at the inn. Both boys were depleted of energy and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed but knew they would have to inform the others about what they had encountered in the house. Before they entered the room, Jisung grabbed Minho’s arm and turned him around. 

  
  
“Hyung, thanks for coming with me. I know you prefer to travel and work on your own but you really helped me and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. You did a good job back there, so, thanks.” Jisung shyly punched the other’s arm and Minho couldn’t help but smile at Jisung’s cringe-worthy actions as he gently punched back. The conversation couldn’t progress any further as they both walked through the door and were immediately tackled by five relieved boys, nearly knocking them both to the ground. 

 

“Are the two of you ok? Neither of you are hurt, right? Let me look. You seem fine. How were the kids in the house? How many of them were there? Are they safe? Am I rambling too much? I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Jisung wondered how Woojin hadn’t passed out as he hadn’t inhaled since he began asking all of his questions. 

 

“Hyung, we’re fine, see?” Jisung moved his arms up and down while twirling around before grabbing Minho’s and doing the same to show that, he too, was unharmed. Jisung’s bones were crushed once again as Woojin pulled him into a hug to show his relief. He then detached himself and made his way over to Minho before doing the same. 

 

“Thank you for looking out for him, Minho. I’m glad you were with him.” A sense of guilt invaded Minho’s chest when he thought about how Woojin would feel if he knew he was using each and every one of them simply to get the bounty on Jisung’s brother’s head. He froze as he was still being clung to when he suddenly asked himself why he should care about what Woojin thought of him. After the job was done he wasn’t going to see any of them again, so why did this bother him so much? 

 

“He was the one looking out for me, hyung. Nearly got myself caught but Jisung saved me because of his quick skills.” Minho patted Woojin’s back, making the elder pull away and grimace slightly at the mention of the mission almost going astray. Hyunjin and Felix were already pulling Jisung over to the unmade bed they had slept in earlier to sit while the others followed. 

 

“Do you guys want to rest for a while first before we go into the details or would you rather get it over and done with and sleep later?” inquired Chan.

 

Minho and Jisung looked at each other and seemed to agree that they would rather just divulge all of the information now as they knew the others would be left wondering if they were to sleep straight away. 

 

“Ah, where the hell do we begin? Firstly, we may need to find a better way into the house than scaling the wall. If you’re not accustomed to doing stuff like that, it may be a bit of a challenge, especially if we’re bringing more equipment with us tomorrow.” All of them looked at Jisung with a slightly confused expression. 

 

“Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow?” Hyunjin’s gaze fluttered between both Jisung and Minho, looking for an explanation. 

 

“We may have told the kids that we would come back for them tomorrow at midnight and get them out.” Minho looked slightly ashamed at the fact that they had made this decision without consulting the rest of them first. Well, technically Jisung had made the call and told Seungmin and Jeongin to be ready when they came for them but Minho hadn’t entirely disagreed with this conclusion. 

 

“Wait one second! We can’t do this that soon! We have way too much to plan and decide!” After Chan had heard about Woojin’s troubled time within Phantasm, he understood why the elder had started shouting at the thought of infiltrating the house so suddenly but his voice was cut off by Jisung’s quiet one. 

 

“Hyung, you should have seen this place. The house itself is, well, it’s pretty spectacular. Looks like something inside of a fairytale that royalty would live in.” Felix peeked at everyone else to discern if they could see Jisung’s point because he certainly couldn’t. He wondered what the gorgeous interior of the house had to do with anything. 

 

“Where these kids are staying though, it was basically an underground cell. The place was freezing, there was mildew growing on the walls and the smell of dampness was pretty overpowering. The rooms they were living in couldn’t have been more than six square feet in width and all they had was a single bed in each area and that’s just the state of their living quarters. The condition of the boys themselves was just…” Jisung’s lip was caught between his teeth as he tried not to let his anger seep out of his mouth. 

 

“We were lucky that we brought Chan hyung’s potion with us or we would have been in a spot of trouble.” Since Jisung was incapacitated with rage, Minho had taken over the explanation instead, as Chan motioned for him to continue. 

 

“The boy that Hyunjin met, Seungmin...Siwan beat the shit out of him.” Minho knew it was a crude way to put it but thought that it was the best way to convey the state that they had found the boy in. 

 

Hyunjin flinched hard at that, though nobody seemed to notice. He knew it. After he had heard the man saying that his boss was furious with him, he knew Seungmin wasn’t going to be alright and began to feel ashamed that he had let the boy be taken away. Nails began to dig into his palms as his fists balled up in anger at the thought of the Illusionist being hurt because he was too much of a coward to have interfered in what he knew was a questionable situation. 

 

“He seemed to be a lot better when we left, though, I am worried that he may have some internal damage. I checked to see if he had any broken bones and he flinched away when I pressed on his stomach and chest. He showed me the bruises on his abdomen that were still there even after he took the potion, which told me that they were too serious to completely heal even with the elixir. I’d say he has a few cracked ribs too but his limbs seem to be in tact. He needs to see a Medic and soon, which is another reason we didn’t want to leave them any longer than we had to.”

 

After hearing their explanation, Woojin couldn’t argue with their plan to get the boys out of there as quickly as they could and nodded apologetically towards Jisung for raising his voice at him, not that Jisung held any bad feeling towards him in the first place. 

 

“How come you chose tomorrow night and not tonight if you wanted them out of there quickly?” Felix’s voice broke the slight tension in the room as he was curious as to what their plan was. 

 

“We thought we should go into the city and equip ourselves with whatever we could to make this mission easier. We should stock up on potions again. We didn’t get to check the other kids’ conditions so we may need to fix them up and it would be unfair on Changbin to make him heal all of them. Then, if something happens to any of us, he would have to cure us too, so the best idea is to grab a few while we’re shopping. We still have the money that you guys got at the general store so we should upgrade our effects too. Plus, Jisung and I are kind of sleep deprived which could affect how useful we are.” The steady tone of Minho’s voice made Chan feel as though he was used to doing stuff like this; putting himself in danger but being more than ready for the consequences that followed, though he wasn’t going to ask him about it at this very moment. 

 

“We were also thinking about how we should approach the situation. Should we perform a full frontal attack or try and sneak all of the kids out without them knowing? Minho hyung thinks that trying to get them all out quietly mightn’t be realistic and we don’t know if Siwan would come after them if he realised that they had escaped during the night. We also don’t know if all of the other kids will trust us enough to go through with the plan quietly, though we asked Seungmin and Jeongin to try and convince them as much as they could.” Jisung’s observations got little reaction and he couldn’t tell what the others were thinking. 

 

“We have no idea what classes these guys are if we were to fight them. How many of them were in the house? Would we be able to take them on?” Hyunjin seemed to have rejoined the conversation after his absence where he was lost inside of his own head with his self loathing thoughts. 

 

“Jeongin said that there were ten men within the house though a couple more, who he has only seen a number of times, would come and go every so often but the numbers wouldn’t increase that much. He also told us that most of the men were either Gunslingers or Berserkers, both focusing on dealing damage through their weapons but don’t really have anything to do with magic in a big way, which would probably work as an advantage for us. Seungmin did mention though that nobody in the house has any idea what class Siwan actually is, so, it would be about ten against seven, unless we got the kids inside to help us fight too. Though, they might be too afraid to after being controlled by them for so long.” Minho had already known the number of men within the house, though he was thankful Jeongin had mentioned it while Jisung was there or he wouldn’t have been able to inform the others without revealing his true class. 

 

“Listen, we can think about what the best approach would be and discuss this later after we’ve had time to digest everything you’ve told us. We should go and eat and do as you suggested earlier and shop around for new weapons and equipment. Then you guys can come back here and sleep for a while. Not to be rude or anything but you don’t exactly look all that great.” Jisung pouted at Chan’s insult while Minho self consciously rubbed the back of his neck. 

 

“I don’t know what  _ you’re  _ talking about. You didn’t sleep all night either because you were waiting for the two of them to come back.” Chan couldn’t believe that Woojin was outing him like this. The betrayal in his eyes seemed to reach the older boy as he whistled nonchalantly before turning away with a smug expression. 

 

“Great, I’m starving. Can we go back to the same place as yesterday that Minho hyung showed us? I want to try the french toast that Changbin hyung had, he said it was really good.” Felix linked his arm with Changbin’s as he awaited an answer from everyone else, who didn’t have a problem with returning to the cafe as they had all enjoyed their meal the previous day.

 

Everyone made their way out of the door while Minho turned back to grab his jacket but paused when he noticed that Hyunjin was still sitting on the bed. 

 

“Hyunjin? Are you not coming to get breakfast with us? Something wrong?” 

 

A deep sigh fell from the boy’s lips. “I should have stopped him right? That’s probably what all of you are thinking, that I was too much of a coward to help Seungmin.” 

 

This was not within Minho’s range of skills. He could dispose of someone with little to no trouble, he could sneak around and steal multiple items without being caught but comforting a distressed adolescent who was obviously seeking some sort of consolation was something that he wasn’t used to. 

 

“No, nobody is thinking that. You honestly don’t think the others would blame you for not helping someone when you had no idea about the circumstances of the situation, do you?” Though he may not have known them for long, he knew the others would never assign fault to the younger boy for something like this. 

 

“I guess you’re right, they probably wouldn’t but would you?” Hyunjin’s eyes bore into the older boy, who couldn’t help but scoff at him. 

 

“Do I seem like the type of person to accuse you of that Hyunjin? Do you really think that little of me?” Minho didn’t know why but he felt a little pissed off that the other would assume something like that about him. 

 

Hyunjin quickly jumped up off of the bed towards Minho while shaking his head. “That’s not what I meant, hyung. I just meant, as the newest person to the group, as someone who doesn’t know me as well as the others do, with an unbiased view on the situation, do you think that I did something wrong?” 

 

The anger within Minho had subsided once he realised he had misunderstood Hyunjin’s words and began to ask himself why he got so annoyed with the younger in the first place. “Hyunjin, nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. This just happened to be one of yours but you’re going to fix it with the rest of us tomorrow night so stop mulling over it. And no, I don’t think you were a coward for not stepping in to stop it. It’s not an easy thing to intervene when you see someone being abused, believe me, I know.” 

 

The worried expression on Hyunjin’s face made Minho realise that he had slipped up with his words. He had given too much away and was beginning to panic before a noise in the doorway interrupted their conversation. 

 

“We didn’t even notice you two weren’t behind us until we were nearly at the cafe. What are you guys doing?” 

 

“Nothing, Jisung. Minho hyung was just giving me some reassurance. We’re all good now, let’s go.” Hyunjin grabbed the younger boy’s shoulders and turned him around to head back out the door but not before turning around to wink at Minho as a way of saying thank you. 

 

Minho was momentarily left alone in the room before the rate of his breathing began to increase slightly. How had he allowed himself to become comfortable within this group so quickly? He had become  _ so  _ comfortable with these boys, that he had almost revealed something that was far too personal, something that he didn’t want to let anyone know about. This was so unlike him. He had never gotten attached to anyone within Phantasm before and yet here he was completing missions with Jisung, offering commiseration to Hyunjin and finding support within Woojin and Chan’s arms. He prayed that Gyujin would show himself soon, he didn’t want to fall in any deeper than he already had. It would just become harder to leave if he became any more involved with the group and easier to hurt all of them, which he now realised, he didn’t want to do; especially not to someone as innocent as Jisung, who had put his complete trust in him and whose only crime was being related to the man he was trying to kill. He didn’t have anymore time to think on the subject as Jisung’s voice travelled up the stairs, asking him to hurry up. Minho closed the door behind him as he went to follow the other boys. 

 

* * *

 

Once their empty stomachs had been taken care of, they decided to shop for equipment for the infiltration mission that would occur the following night. Since their classes varied, they decided to split into groups that would need to travel to the same shops as each other. Woojin and Changbin left the others as they headed down a small street which they had passed on entering the city where Woojin said there was a store which specialised in magic that they would be interested in. Chan and Felix decided that they would like to upgrade their equipment to strengthen their attacks, which made sense to the others since Felix wouldn’t be using his abilities and Chan’s class relied on his weapons more than anything else. 

 

Minho, Hyunjin and Jisung were more than happy with the equipment that they had but thought they might visit the weapons emporium later to browse what they had to offer with regards to protection. Now, they wanted to go to stock up on potions and ingredients for Hyunjin, whose reserves for creating his various concoctions were running low. They searched and found a rather sizable thatched, wooden building, which seemed very out of place within the city that boasted so many considerable stone and brick structures. Though, this seemed to be exactly what they were looking for and the vast amount of customers going in and coming out of the store was certainly an incentive for them to enter.  

 

People of various ages perused the goods available that lined the long walls of the store. Hyunjin seemed to be blown away by what the shop had to offer, quickly leaving Minho and Jisung standing in the doorway. He ran to gather all of the additives he could use to make mixtures for potions and bombs that he had made dozens of times before, as well as ones he never had the chance to try. The Alchemist’s animated actions made the corners of Minho’s lips turn upwards as Hyunjin’s earlier sour mood seemed to have disappeared and he was back to his excitable self. Bottles of various shapes and sizes fell into people’s baskets as they shopped for the potions of their choice. Minho and Jisung joined the crowd, still without Hyunjin, who was now passionately asking the store owner questions about what ingredients were the best to create such and such an explosive. Minho made his way to a shelf filled with small round bottles, all containing liquids of varying shades of purple, which he knew were cures for a diverse number of poisons and began to put a couple into his basket, just in case. 

 

“So, what were you and Hyunjin talking about earlier when we left you behind? Or am I not supposed to know?” Jumping a little, Minho turned around, as he had forgotten Jisung was there. That bad habit of becoming complacent while Jisung watched his back was making an appearance once again and Minho hated it. 

 

“Hyunjin was just a little upset about not being able to help Seungmin yesterday but he seems to be ok now. He thought you might blame him for being too much of a coward to step in but I told him that wouldn’t be the case. That wouldn’t be the case, right?” 

 

“Of course not!” Jisung seemed a little angry that Hyunjin would think they would blame him for something like that, just like Minho had been earlier, which made the older boy grin a little. 

 

“Right, that’s what I said but before we could talk anymore,  _ someone _ had to come in and interrupt us…” 

 

“How was I supposed to know you were in the middle of a heart to heart? Besides, it wouldn’t have mattered if I did know because I wanted pancakes and the others wouldn’t go in without you, so I had to go back and drag your asses to come along with us. There was no time to waste!” Nothing could beat Jisung’s love for sweet things and Minho just huffed at the simplicity of the Thief’s tastes. 

 

“We should pick up some strength enhancers. Magic boosters would be good too. Oh, you have some antidotes already? That’s good. We needs lots of healing potions. The green ones are better, right? Let’s see, what else?” Jisung walked the entirety of the store, with Minho following closely behind as the younger boy began throwing various potions into the basket, causing the small bottles to clink together. By the time they were finished, Minho was having a little trouble holding the numerous items in one hand and had to drag the contents of the basket to the counter where they were to pay. Hyunjin quickly joined them with a bright smile and a full cart of various elements, which showed the others how enthusiastic he really was about this sort of thing. He had told Jisung and the others that his grandfather had been a scientist and that he had helped him in his lab so doing something like this, that reminded him of home, was probably really important to the Alchemist. 

 

When the total appeared on the screen in front of them, Jisung froze up, his mouth falling open slightly. Hyunjin began to think he was going to have to return some of the items back to the shelves. They couldn’t spend the majority of their money on this when they still had to travel to the weapons emporium for protective gear later. Hyunjin pouted dejectedly and began to turn around with his bag of ingredients before Minho grabbed his arm and shook his head, turning to face the owner of the store. 

 

“Here you go, keep the change.” A rather large, coral coloured pouch fell from Minho’s hands onto the counter while he bowed and pulled the two boys away with their purchases. Hyunjin and Jisung turned their heads back towards the counter after they heard a loud gasp fall from the shopkeeper’s mouth and when they saw his expression of joy, they became slightly interested as to how much Minho had actually given him. Once outside, protests left the younger boy’s mouths. 

 

“Wait, what just happened? Hyung, did you just pay for all of our stuff? You can’t do that!” Hyunjin tried to pull Minho back into the store, though it was pretty useless as Minho was physically stronger. 

 

“Why can’t I do it? You need what we bought to make items that will help us tomorrow night. I’m simply thinking of this as an investment. I have plenty of coins, so it’s not a big deal. Just make sure you put everything to good use, alright?” 

 

Both Jisung and Hyunjin stood in awe of Minho, embarrassed thanks leaving their mouths. 

 

“Hyung, at least let us give you something towards it. I’d feel awful if we let you pay for everything.” Jisung was already rummaging through his pouch, which Hyunjin mirrored shortly afterwards. 

 

“Really guys, you don’t have to. It’s alri-” Jisung glared at the older boy and Minho took this as his cue to shut up with his disagreements. “Fine. How about you give me 500 coins each and we’ll call it even?” 

 

Jisung and Hyunjin were both about to argue again before Minho held up his hand, indicating that it was either that amount or nothing. Jisung huffed but handed over the small amount of money to Minho before both boys thanked him for his generous gesture once again. All three, with hands now occupied with the potions and ingredients that they had procured, headed to the weapons emporium where they hoped to meet Chan and Felix.

 

* * *

 

Flipping through the pages of a worn, dusty manual, Changbin couldn’t help but stare in wonderment at the vast variety of spells that were floating towards his eyes. He knew he wouldn’t have time to learn them all before their mission tomorrow but he could certainly learn a few that would help. Ways in which he could improve his healing spells without using up so much of his energy was definitely something useful to bookmark, as well as buffing spells in which he could reduce the amount of time it took to cast them. On the other side of the store, Woojin was admiring little adornments that different classes could attach to their weapons in order to strengthen their magical abilities. One in the shape of a little golden bear caught his attention as he grasped it in his hand.

 

“Excuse me, may I ask what this ornament does for the user?” The owner of the store looked up at the polite request and made her way over to Woojin with a helpful smile. 

 

“This one is  _ The Bear’s Roar.  _ It amplifies the range of spells by twice their original distance. Do you mind me asking what class you are?” 

 

“Oh, I’m a Bard. Do you think that this would help me with my spells?” inquired Woojin.  

 

“Absolutely. It was made for someone like you. Hmm, I’m trying to think if there is anything else that would assist you. Oh, this one focuses on the strength of spells, comparable to the animal’s forceful kick, so that might be of interest to you.” The lady reached forward and grabbed a tiny, bronze creature and handed it to Woojin, who smiled happily at the little kangaroo now sitting in his palm before answering that he would take both of them. 

 

“Changbinnie, are you nearly done? We should go and meet the others.” The look in Changbin’s eyes told Woojin he had been so preoccupied with reading, that he hadn’t even looked around the rest of the store. “I’m going to take that as a no then?” 

 

“Sorry, hyung. I’ll just be a few more minutes.If you want to go ahead without me, you can.” Woojin shook his head to show that he didn’t mind waiting around for the younger boy. He had become accustomed to Changbin getting lost in a book to try and learn new spells but found his enthusiasm endearing. Clutching the glistening, silver spear on his back, Woojin carefully tied his new trinkets onto its head. After about ten minutes of waiting by the door while singing to himself, Changbin finally emerged to join Woojin with a large paper bag in his arms, which was beginning to rip due to the weight of the books and other items he had purchased in the shop. 

 

“Did you spend all of your money in there?” Woojin began to look disapprovingly at Changbin, as he knew the boy would lose even more sleep than he already did to try and cram everything that he could into his head before tomorrow. 

 

“No, no, there was a two for one on certain books, so I took the offer while it was there. I still have a lot of money left hyung, don’t worry.” Woojin moved forward to alleviate some of the weight in Changbin’s arms by taking a few books while they both headed towards where they were to meet the others. 

 

 

* * *

 

“Channie hyung, what do you think?”

 

Chan looked up at the younger Aussie to admire the new protective clothing that the boy had picked out. Felix had rolled up the sleeves on the emerald chambray shirt that fell over his shoulders, which was matched with charcoal drainpipe trousers that Chan thought suited the younger very well. The silver whip, which Felix had just upgraded to increase its grip and tenacity, fell loosely from his waist and only added to the appeal of the outfit.

 

“Woah, look at you. Those suit you much better than the oversized sweater you’ve been wearing.” Since Felix had been hurt, he had to borrow spare clothes from Woojin as they thought it may be better not to walk around in a blood stained shirt with a bullet hole in it in case they worried passers by that they might have done something contentious. 

 

“You don’t look so bad yourself, hyung.” The black denim jeans that Chan had chosen were accompanied by a slim fitting cerise hoodie, which showed Felix how toned the older boy actually was. 

 

In the real world, their purchases would look to be regular items of clothing that did nothing in particular. However, within Phantasm, all of the clothes available to buy had some sort of power sewn into them. Felix’s shirt, though made from chambray, was bewitched to defend the person who wore it against ballistics. Chan couldn’t fault the younger boy for wanting something to protect him from bullets after what he went through, though this was not the only positive effect of his outfit. A lengthy, golden bracelet coiled its way up Felix’s arm like a serpent searching for its prey, where it ended at his elbow. He had chosen this piece as it allowed the user to recover energy at a rapid rate. It had cost a little bit more than the rest of the outfit combined but both boys thought that something with a power like that was worth the money. 

 

Chan’s clothing focused on strength and fortification more than anything else. The owner of the store had said that these particular pieces of clothing would enhance a person’s power and be able to shield the wearer from a variety of melee attacks, which appealed to Chan since he was a short range fighter. Felix had recommended a gold pair of cross shaped dangle earrings which increased the users luck. Chan argued that luck was not something that could be measured but Felix quickly disagreed with him, stating that he shouldn’t be surprised about what is possible and impossible in a world like this. 

 

As Chan and Felix paid for the clothes that they were about to leave the store in, Woojin and Changbin entered, preoccupied with a quiet discussion. Before they could step any further into the shop, a glitch occured in both, their voices failing to come out of their mouths once they had seen the other two boys in their new gear. 

 

“Wow.” 

 

Chan and Felix laughed together as Changbin and Woojin had breathed the word out in unison, before quickly composing themselves and becoming embarrassed at their lack of finesse. 

 

“Ah, Felix, I guess that means we look pretty good in our new clothes then!” Felix nodded enthusiastically at Chan’s comment with a mocking smile as he turned to Changbin who, after his previous embarrassment, couldn’t look him in the eye. 

 

“Are you guys going to get some new kit too?” Woojin scratched his head before replying that they had done the shopping that they needed to do already and had simply come here to meet the other boys. Hyunjin, Minho and Jisung joined shortly afterwards before they purchased new clothing as well after complimenting the others on their attire. 

 

As dusk began to settle on the city, the group felt more than prepared for the mission with regards to equipment but still had anxious feelings about the lives of those they were going to try and save. Jisung and Chan stated that they would return to their rooms to catch up on all of the sleep they had missed out on. That idea also appealed to Minho, though he mentioned he wished to walk around the city by himself for a little while. The others thought that, after travelling alone for so long, he probably needed some time to himself. They let him go on his way, not knowing the true reason for his sudden need to be alone. As they walked back to the inn, Changbin suddenly tugged on Felix’s arm, making the other turn in surprise. 

 

“Do you want to go back to the inn straight away or do you think you can spare some time?” Raised eyebrows told Changbin that Felix was curious about what the older boy was trying to imply. 

 

“Uh, do you need me to help you with something, hyung?” 

  
  
“Yeah, kind of. So, will you come with me for a little while?”

 

Felix’s heart rate became a little irregular as the Medic stared at him while waiting for an answer. “Sure, where are we going to go?”    
  


“You’ll find out when we get there.” Changbin began sprinting slightly to race past the other boys while grasping Felix’s hand. “Hyung, we’re going somewhere for a little while. We won’t be too long. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.” 

 

Before Woojin could ask him any questions on the subject, the two boys were running away, with Felix yelling at the older boy to slow down. 

 

“Wow, they are both completely whipped for each other, huh?” Jisung mumbled in a quiet voice with a small smile before Hyunjin sauntered up to him and linked his arm with the Thief. 

 

“Oh, thank god, I thought I was the only one who noticed that.”

 


	11. Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, how are you all doing? So, we're nearly there, the battle is almost upon us! I'm not going to say much more except happy birthday to Chan, the best leader out there! Alrighty, on we go!

A different pair of eyes appeared behind the metal shutter of the door but still asked Minho for the password once again. After he repeated it, similarly to how he had two days earlier, he made his way to the dingy, underground bar. However, Minho was not in the mood for a drink. Tonight, he was here on business. Strolling up to the counter, he grabbed a wobbly stool, placing himself upon it as he waited. Glancing around the room, he couldn’t see who he was looking for but knew that if he stuck around long enough, he was bound to show up. His theory checked out once Yukhei walked through the door. Minho raised his hand and waved Yukhei over to him, which confused the other because Minho was never the one to initiate the conversations that they had but made his way over to him nonetheless. 

 

“Uh, can I help you with something Minho? You were waving to me right? There wasn’t someone else behind me, was there?” Yukhei turned in a full circle to check as Minho rolled his eyes at him. 

 

“Actually, yes, if you want, you can help me with something.”   
  


Yukhei raised an eyebrow in interest. Though he had asked the question, it had been in a joking manner as, in this type of job, nobody helped one another, no matter how much they may need it. 

 

“Oh ho, the great Lee Minho needs my help? My goodness, this needs to go in the history books. I mean, you of all people, who boasts about how he never needs anything or anyone comes to me and begs for assistance-” 

 

The bar stool clattered a little as Minho jumped off of it and grabbed his jacket before heading for the door. He wondered what he had been thinking; nothing was worth listening to Yukhei bloviate about how much Minho needed him. His hands were soon empty when Yukhei grabbed Minho’s coat from him as an incentive to stop. 

 

“Wait, wait, wait, I was just kidding! No need to get so pissy about it, though I’m very expensive to hire, you know. I don’t do anything for free, not even for you Minho.” Extended fingers tickled underneath Minho’s chin as he quickly thought about biting one off to show that he had no time for Yukhei’s antics but managed to restrain himself with all of his might. Yukhei mightn’t be as effective if he lost a finger. 

 

“How much do you want? You don’t even know what the job is yet.” 

 

“Doesn’t matter. I charge a high price for every job that I do, no matter what it is. I’m very consistent, as you may have noticed.” Minho hadn’t because he never paid much attention the other boy and his tomfoolery. “Fifteen thousand.” 

 

“Coins?! Are you out of your fucking mind?!” Annoyed stares from those surrounding them focused in on the two boys. Minho glared at Yukhei before pulling him closer to the exit. 

 

“You are in no way worth fifteen thousand coins. I can ask anybody else in this room and they would do it for half of that.” Golden locks fell in front of Yukhei’s face as he laughed wickedly. 

 

“Actually, I  _ am  _ worth that much, which is why I know you’re going to give me the exact amount that I want to complete whatever job it is you’re going to tell me about. Isn’t that correct?”

 

He absolutely hated it when Yukhei was right. Minho had come to the place looking specifically for the over-energetic Assassin because he knew his skills were unparalleled in his class. Unlike Minho, Yukhei didn’t have any particular morals with regards to who he killed, though children were still a big no-no. Minho would never eliminate anybody unless they had committed some sort of malicious crime, which is why he had no trouble chasing after Gyujin. Yukhei, on the other hand, simply needed a name and payment. It was this reason that Minho had a little trouble getting along with the younger boy. 

 

After spending so much money in town earlier on new gear and all of the potions and ingredients that Jisung and Hyunjin had bought, he was really going to be scraping the end of the barrel to pay Yukhei for the job he wanted him to complete for him. 

 

“Christ, you really are a thorn in my side. Why can’t you give me a little bit of wiggle room? No discount for your friends?” 

 

“Oh sure, I give discounts to my friends. Too bad you’re not one of them.” Minho really wanted to slap that stupid smile off of Yukhei’s face but took a deep breath and managed a small, fraudulent grin instead. He rummaged around in his pockets before grabbing his pouch of money and taking out the notes that added up to the amount Yukhei had charged him, placing the rest of his money back where it had come from. He flung the cash towards the other boy, who quickly glanced at the money to check if it was the right amount, though he knew that Minho wouldn’t rip him off. 

 

“Ok, so now that I have your money, what is it exactly that you want me to do?” 

 

Minho sighed deeply before gesturing to Yukhei to follow him to the armchairs in the corner of the room. This job would need more than a little explanation. 

 

* * *

 

A gentle breeze ruffled the bleached blond hair on Felix’s head, causing it to fall in front of his eyes. A firm grasp was still placed around his hand as Changbin led him out of the gates of Aquiria to their unknown destination. Felix became a little alarmed that they were leaving the city and the safety that its walls provided when it was just the two of them. He thought that the incident with his former group may have heightened his sense of trepidation which is why, before they could go any further from the white walls, Felix placed his feet firmly on the ground and pulled on Changbin’s hand to stop the boy. 

 

“Hyung, where exactly are we going? I don’t really want to go much further out here when it’s just the two of us. It’s going to get dark soon.” Both of them knew that the darkness oozed danger, as it brought out beasts that were far more vicious and deadly than the ones that appeared during the day, which did not appeal to Felix in any way, shape or form. 

 

“Lix, you remember back when we fought monsters together in the forest with Chan hyung?” 

 

Of course Felix remembered, it had been one of his most memorable experiences in the game. He had managed to attack a beast all by himself and incapacitate it. It would be something that he wouldn’t forget for a long time but he wondered as to why Changbin was bringing it up now. 

 

“Sure, hyung, I remember. Why?”

 

“I told you that I believed that you could do it and that I wouldn’t let the monster hurt you.” Felix had remembered that too, as it was a moment which made his heart flutter whenever he thought about it. 

 

“You trusted me completely and I’m extremely thankful for that but I’m going to need you to do it again.” Trust was something that was not easily gained in Felix’s eyes but Changbin had won his within the first couple of days that he had met the boy. The Medic had saved Felix’s life, kept a straight face when he had told him why he couldn’t use his abilities, stood beside him when he fought his first monster; Changbin really didn’t need to try any harder that he already had to obtain Felix’s trust. 

 

“I’ll always trust you hyung but I’m getting kind of antsy as to where this is all leading.” 

 

Changbin hadn’t let go of Felix’s hand throughout the conversation but grabbed the other one tightly before he inhaled deeply and stared into the other’s eyes. “I want you to try and summon a beast.” 

 

Felix felt like someone had dumped ice cold water over his head as a sense of extreme dread flew throughout his body. Pulling his hands free of Changbin’s, he turned to walk back towards the city gates as the older boy called out to him. 

 

“Lix, wait! Listen, I know this is scary and it’s going to be really hard to overcome but if you could just try it, I know that you could-”

 

“No, Changbin!” 

 

The sudden drop of honorifics and volume of the thunderous shout that left Felix’s mouth startled Changbin so much that he stopped dead in his tracks, while Felix looked at him with hurt in his eyes. 

 

“Why would you even ask me to do something like this when you know how terrified I am to try?” The anger filled tone of the boy’s voice had shifted to one of pain, making Changbin unfreeze from his spot and move towards Felix slowly with his hands raised. 

 

“Lix, I would never force you to try and do it, I just thought that-”

 

“No, hyung, you didn’t think. Do you believe that this is some little fear that I can get over with some kind words from you? Can you really not understand how frightening this is for me? It was one thing to attack a monster from a distance but to try and control one is another thing altogether. Just because you have a class that focuses on helping people doesn’t mean that you can solve everyone’s problems with the snap of your fingers!” Felix had begun to shake uncontrollably as he raised his voice, though Changbin wasn’t sure if the cause was because he was scared of trying to summon a monster or because of how furious he was with him. His voice trembled slightly as he turned away from the Medic and began to walk away once again. “I really thought that you got that, hyung. I thought that out of everyone, you were the one that understood how hard this is for me but I guess I was wrong.” 

 

Changbin’s speed allowed him to position himself between Felix and the city before he could get any further. Rough hands were placed on the boy’s soft, freckled cheeks as Changbin forced Felix to look at him. “Lix, I do understand. I understand how frightened you are. I understand that you think you’re too weak to control the monsters that you could call. I understand that you’re probably more worried about your friends getting hurt by your beasts rather than yourself.” 

 

After Changbin had made his last observation, Felix began to think that maybe the other really did discern how he truly felt. 

  
  
“You won’t allow yourself to even think about the possibility of being able to tame your beasts but you’re so incredibly strong and I know that if you gave yourself a chance, you could do it but if you don’t want to, then we’ll head straight back into the city and pretend that we never came out here.” 

 

Felix’s hands moved up to remove Changbin’s from his face but simply allowed them to rest on top of the other’s instead. “Hyung, I-I can’t. Not now, no matter how much I want to. I just can’t.” 

 

Changbin smiled softly as their hands met before grazing his fingers across the freckles that seemed to be more prominent due to the light of the setting sun. “Ok Lix, I just thought it might have been a good idea. Never mind, let’s go.” Intertwining their fingers once again, they headed back towards the gates to enter the city. 

 

“I’ll think about it.” 

 

Unsure whether he had actually heard a voice, Changbin turned to look at Felix, whose eyes were firmly set on the ground. “Did you say something Lix?” 

 

“I said that I’ll think about it. I need time to prepare myself if I’m going to attempt something like this. You sprung this on me too suddenly and I got scared. I-I’m sorry that I yelled at you.” 

 

“Don’t apologize, I deserved to be yelled at for asking you to do something like this straight away without warning. It was just me being insensitive towards your feelings.” 

 

Felix shook his head as he realised that Changbin was only trying to help him, even if he did go about it in the wrong way. “Give me time and we can try when I am ready but that may not be anytime soon.”

 

Changbin nodded in quiet acknowledgement to let Felix know that his suggestion was more than alright before Felix quickly continued speaking. 

 

“But when I do decide that I’m ready to try this, you have to be beside me the entire time, ok? The entire time!” Changbin chuckled slightly at Felix’s words as that’s exactly what he had already planned to do. 

 

“I promise, Lix, that I will always be by your side. You will never have to worry about that.” The corners of Felix’s lips turned upwards slightly at the Medic’s words, the smile too small for Changbin to notice, as he placed his forehead on the other’s shoulder and began to steady his breathing after the tense argument that had occurred. 

 

“I’m sorry, Felix. Please don’t be upset with me.” Changbin began to rub small circles into Felix’s back before the younger boy placed his arms around his waist and inhaled deeply, taking in Changbin’s unique scent of fresh linen and citrus fruits. 

 

“Don’t worry hyung, you’re forgiven. Just try not to scare me like that again, my heart isn’t made for surprises like this.” Changbin chuckled now that he knew he was back in Felix’s good books. They stood quietly for a moment before turning and heading towards the inn to plan and prepare for tomorrow’s attack. 

 

* * *

 

While Jisung, Hyunjin and Chan slept, Woojin took the opportunity to speak with Minho, who had returned from his earlier venture in the city. As both boys sat on the balcony overlooking the view, Minho offered the older boy one of the caramel colas which he had brought back to the room for the others as they both sat in a comfortable silence. While sipping on the refreshing drink, Minho could feel Woojin’s eyes upon him, making him turn to meet the other’s gaze. 

 

“Everything alright there, hyung? Why are you staring at me?” 

 

“I was just thinking about how lucky we were to run into you. Firstly, you save Jisungie from nearly being killed, then you volunteered to go on a mission with him that put you in grave danger. Hyunjin and Jisung also told me about you paying for all of their shopping when they didn’t have enough money, which was a very kind gesture but you shouldn’t have spent so much of your coins on them. I just think someone was looking out for us by sending you to our group.” 

 

Minho could no longer keep eye contact with the older boy as, once again, a wave of shame overcame his senses. Woojin had a special talent of saying kind words but making Minho feel undeniably guilty at the same time. He shouldn’t be bothered by this, yet he was. An unusual thought had occurred to him the earlier in the day as he made his way back from his meeting with Yukhei. What if he just forgot about Gyujin? What if he left his old life behind and continued to travel with Woojin’s group instead? Less than a week with the other boys had made him question the way he had been playing this game for the last seven months, though he wasn’t sure how they would react if they ever discovered what he had done in the past and that thought actually terrified him. There was very little in life that scared Minho but the group’s reaction to him was something that did and he truly didn’t know why. 

 

“I’m not all that great hyung, believe me. The way you take care of everyone else is much more impressive. They all look up to you so much, especially the younger ones.” 

 

“How did you become a Shadow in the first place? Most of us have told you our stories but we never got to hear yours.” Woojin tried to change the subject as he saw the way the younger boy’s face seemed to contort in sadness, though he wasn’t sure what the matter was. 

 

“Uh, sorry hyung, I don’t really like to talk about that, kind of like Jisung. I know it sounds a little bit sketchy, I just find it difficult to speak about it.” Though part of the reason Minho didn’t want to tell Woojin about his backstory was because he wasn’t a Shadow like he had told him, another side of him really did feel very uncomfortable talking about why he held the class that he did. 

 

“That’s alright, don’t ever feel like you have to divulge that information if you don’t want to. Jisungie feels the same way about his class and it took him a while to tell us about it too.” 

 

“He actually already told me about why he was assigned the class of Thief. The night that we camped out before we came to Aquiria, I was unable to sleep and Jisung came and joined me. We talked for a while and he told me all about how he grew up before Chan hyung came and told us to go back to bed.” 

 

Woojin looked a little surprised at the revelation. “He told you already? Wow, Jisungie must really think a lot of you to tell you that so early in your relationship. I think it was two months before he told Changbin and five or six weeks before he told me. Lucky you, Jisung obviously trusts you a lot already.” There it was again, the pressure in his chest at the mention of their trust being broken by his intentions. 

 

The sound of the door to their room unlocking caused Woojin and Minho to cease their conversation and turn to greet Changbin and Felix, who were silent as they walked in, still holding hands. 

 

“Did the air just turn colder in here or is that just me? Did something happen between you two?” Changbin cursed Woojin and his attention to detail. The Medic was unsure whether to let the others know where they had been, since it had gone so wrong so quickly. The atmosphere of the room stood still as the older boys waited for an answer before Felix moved forward to sit on the bed. 

 

“No, nothing in particular happened. Changbin hyung and I just went for a walk outside of the city gates for a while to talk, just to get to know each other a little better, that’s all.” Changbin nodded in agreement at Felix’s excuse as his eyes moved to Woojin, who looked a little angry with him. Changbin rushed through his memories to try and think of what he had done wrong recently. Surely Woojin didn’t know that he had taken Felix out there to try and help him with his abilities. 

 

“Man, I’m tired. I think I’ll head back to my hotel and call it a night.” The bones in Minho’s back cracked with a loud pop as he stretched his arms to the ceiling. 

 

“It’s getting kinda late to be traveling back by yourself, Minho. You can stay here with us if you’d like. Chan, Jisung and Hyunjin are in the room next door, I’m pretty sure Jisung fell asleep on the floor, so there should be an extra bed for you.” Woojin’s glare was still settled upon Changbin, who was getting more and more agitated as he couldn’t think of why he was looking at him like that. 

 

“Hyung, you can stay in my room. Since Hyunjin isn’t there, you can use his bed, if you don’t mind sharing a room with me.” Minho didn’t care where it was, he just wanted somewhere to sleep and the anxious look on the younger boy’s face caused him to grin at the fact that Felix thought he might not want to room with him. 

 

“Alright Felix, that sounds good, lead the way.” Felix’s warm smile lit up the small space as he grabbed Minho’s hand and led him towards the room he was staying in but not before turning and bidding Woojin and Changbin goodnight. 

 

Changbin raised his hand towards the two boys who had just left the room as a plea not to leave him alone with Woojin as he was afraid shouting was about to ensue. Slow footsteps moved towards the Medic as he turned to face Woojin. “Hey hyung, what’s the matter?” 

 

“You took Felix outside of the city walls just as it’s about to get dark? Bin, I thought you were smarter than that! Why would you do such a thing? You could have gotten hurt! What if you had been attacked when it was just the two of you?!” Changbin reeled back as Woojin raised his voice but couldn’t understand why the older boy was making such a big deal out of this but then suddenly, he did. Moonbyul and Seunghoon. He had lost them when they travelled outside of the walls of Aquiria by themselves and Changbin knew that Woojin was still hurting from that experience. Changbin realized his actions tonight probably unintentionally reopened some old wounds for Woojin and the Medic’s face fell with a small whine. 

 

“Hyung, I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that. I forgot about...look, we’re both fine. I just thought that outside of the city limits would have been a better place for Felix to try and summon his beasts but-”

 

“Woah, wait. Are you trying to tell me that you brought Felix outside of the walls to make him try and summon a beast when you know about his phobia? Changbin, what the hell has gotten into you? Why would you make him do something like that? I thought you cared about him.” 

 

“I do care about him! A lot! I thought that his time in Phantasm might be easier if he was able to protect himself a bit more and call his beasts to help him; that we wouldn’t have to worry about him getting hurt again. It doesn’t matter anyway, he didn’t do it. He pretty much had the same reaction you did to be honest but he said that he would think about trying it in the future if I helped him.” Woojin’s anger subsided a little as he realised Changbin’s actions were simply a momentary lapse in judgement but all he could think about were the friends that he had already lost and it made him feel like his heart was being ripped out all over again. 

 

“You are not to go anywhere on your own unless it’s inside of the city, do you understand me, Changbin?” The Medic felt like it was his father talking to him rather than his friend as he was scolded like a child but decided not to retort and make the situation worse. 

 

“Sir, yes sir,” Changbin mumbled quietly, giving a weak salute before making his way over to his bed. He laid down and stared at the top bunk above him, a small scowl still present on his face after being reprimanded. 

 

Woojin hated being the oldest in the group at times like this, when he had to use his irritated voice on the younger boys. He hoped that Changbin knew that he was only this peeved because he didn’t want them to get hurt or worse. After a few moments of noiselessness, Woojin made his way over to the bunk Changbin was lying on, moving his hand to his leg and patting it gently. “Changbin, I’m sorry I shouted at you but try to understand this from my point of view. I just don’t want to lose you too, ok?”

 

The annoyed look on Changbin’s face softened as he looked at Woojin with sympathy. “Everybody seems to be shouting at me tonight, though I know I deserve it. I’m sorry too, hyung. It won’t happen again.”  

 

Woojin grinned at how agreeable Changbin was when it came to him before he moved onto another point that had caught his interest during their conversation. “So, you care about Felix a lot, huh?” 

 

Changbin rolled his eyes and tried to turn towards the wall before Woojin grabbed him to turn him back around. “Bin?” 

 

Changbin licked his lips before dragging his teeth over them and looking back at Woojin, who was smiling soothingly at him. “Yeah, hyung, I do. A lot. More than I probably should.”

 

Woojin motioned for Changbin to move over in the compact bed as he snuggled in beside the boy and threw the covers over the two of them. “Changbinnie, I’m so happy for you. Did you tell him yet?”

 

“No and I don’t think I’m going to. After what happened tonight, I don’t know if he’ll trust me in the same way again. I think I may have done a lot of damage asking him to do something he was too terrified to do and I’m really starting to regret it.”

  
  
Woojin allowed Changbin’s head to fall upon his chest. He could almost feel the younger boy’s worries seeping into him. “Changbin, you guys were holding hands when you walked into the room earlier. I doubt Felix would still do that if he disliked you. Maybe you should just take the leap and figure out what to do after you have told him. You’ll never know if you don’t try and it’s not good to keep feelings like this inside.” 

 

Raising from his comfortable position, Changbin detached himself from his hyung and arched his eyebrow. “Ah, that’s right. It’s not good to keep that kind of stuff inside. So, when are you going to tell Chan hyung that you like him?” 

 

Woojin remained motionless as he gaped back at the younger boy. “I-I don’t-what are you-? I haven’t-” 

 

Changbin watched Woojin flounder with his words and laid back down on his firm chest once again. “Well, when you regain your senses and start to speak normally again, I will make a deal with you. The day you tell Chan hyung about your feelings, I will tell Felix about mine, how does that sound?” 

 

The Medic was worried that he wasn’t going to get a reply out of the older boy but knew by his rate of breathing that he was still awake and trying to come up with a response that might get him out of such a situation. Changbin was just about to give up and sleep before a small voice broke the silence that the darkness brought with it. 

  
  
“Fine.”

 

* * *

 

 

The only time that they were away from prying eyes was when they were locked in their prison for the night, so Seungmin and Jeongin took this opportunity to gather the others in their cramped room, barely managing to fit them all inside. Eyes full of curiosity and fear fell upon the boys that had assembled them here as they awaited an explanation. Jeongin fidgeted nervously while Seungmin gazed at the other captives as he tried to remember their names. 

 

The Black Mage that had performed on stage before their mishap, Eunbin, was sitting directly across from him with inquisitive features. A foxy haired girl, who Seungmin was pretty sure was named Sei, sat to Eunbin’s left. She possessed the Swashbuckler class as she had lived on the sea for most of her life according to Jeongin. She hadn’t told him this but he was so desperate to make friends earlier on, that he had eavesdropped on some conversations that the others had to try and learn more about them. A pair of brunet boys glared at Seungmin due to the fact that they were being dragged away from their precious beds. They had performed earlier in the day and Seungmin couldn’t fault them for wanting to sleep instead of listen to him but they didn’t yet realise how important this was. Daewon and Donghan shared both the same surname and class of Mimic, which allowed them to learn attacks from beasts and use them in battles for themselves. It always seemed to impress the crowd when they mirrored the monster’s attacks back at them. A timid youngster sat in the corner of the room, his knees firmly placed against his chest, not meeting the eyes of anyone else. Jeongin had watched Eric perform before with his Danseur class and was mesmerised by his graceful and fluid movements, though he also knew that his elegance also held precariousness as he could kill numerous monsters with the flick of his wrist when he moved. The final member, who was also the eldest, was Jaehan. His brown mop of hair covered his face as he lay on Seungmin’s bed while breathing softly, as if asleep. His Esper class let him use his mind to manipulate reality and move objects without touching them. Though, like Jeongin, he didn’t really like to use his abilities unless he was forced to. 

 

The only one in the room that Seungmin ever had a conversation with was Jeongin, so he felt more than slightly intimidated when he was forced to explain the situation to all of them.

 

“You guys are probably wondering why I asked you to come here but I promise you, it’s for a really good reason. This isn’t some sort of trick or joke and I really think that this will happen. How would you all feel about getting out of here?” 

 

Eric’s eyes finally moved upwards as he stared in disbelief at Seungmin’s words. “Get out of here...what do you mean?” 

 

“Last night, someone broke into the house and made their way down here to talk with me and Jeongin. They said they wanted to help us leave this place.” 

 

Sei scoffed quietly at the news as her fingers drummed the floor. “And of course, you believed them. Did it ever enter your head that this is all a part of Siwan’s plan to torture us even more than he already does? I can’t believe you woke us up because of this crap.” She moved to get up before Eunbin caught her hand to guide her back down. 

 

“Who were these guys? Why do you seem to trust them so much?” 

 

“When I fell off of the stage during my performance, somebody caught me. They told me his name was Chan and when I broke down in his arms, he hugged me while trying to calm me down. Once Siwan’s men came to take me back, he swatted their hands away while he held onto me like his life depended on it and I could feel how much he wanted to help me, even if I pushed him away in the end. Seungmin hyung also met another one of their group who seemed to be genuinely concerned when he was being taken backstage after being caught. Ah, there is this too.” Jeongin reached over to Seungmin’s face and carefully ripped off the bandages to reveal that all of his minor wounds had been healed up. 

 

Daewon moved in closer to inspect the boy’s face before reeling back in confusion. “I thought Siwan kicked the crap out of you, how are all of your wounds healed?” 

 

“The guys that came here brought a healing potion and gave it Seungmin hyung. Maybe I’m just a naive kid but I don’t think that Siwan would hire someone to come down here and heal our wounds while saying they would help us escape. What would they possibly gain from that? They told us that they would come back for us tomorrow at midnight and that we should be ready to go with whatever belongings that we have. So, what do you guys think? Are you ready to get out of this place?” Jeongin glanced at worried expressions before looking to Seungmin who exhaled deeply as no replies had come their way. 

 

“It’ll never work.” Jaehan had finally moved from his spot to swing his legs over the bed and stare at the others. “Why would some random strangers put themselves in danger for the likes of us? Even if they did, you think that we’ll all be able to leave here quietly and they’ll simply sit back and take that? It’s just a little fantasy that you kids cooked up in your heads. These friends of yours probably won’t even come back, so this whole conversation is pretty pointless.” 

 

“Fine, if you don’t want to get out of here, then stay and let them ruin whatever amount of time you have left in this world before they kill you. None of you can say that you’re not tired of being treated this way cause I know I am.” Jeongin noticed the protruding veins in Seungmin’s neck as he spoke and realised he seemed to be getting angrier and angrier that none of the others even wanted to take the chance of being free of this wretched place. 

 

“Listen kid, you can put your confidence in this little make believe rescue operation all you want but you’ll end up dead before you end up free, so count me out.” Jaehan walked towards the door as Seungmin began to raise his voice. 

 

“You know what Jaehan, fuck you. At least I’m not too much of a coward to even try and get out of here in the first place. At this stage, I’d rather be dead than stay in this hellhole any longer!” The quietness of the room after Seungmin’s outburst was deafening as Jeongin looked at his hyung with wide eyes. He thought back to when he had told Seungmin that sometimes he would rather not be alive and the older boy had scolded him, telling him never to say such a thing or leave him behind on his own but he now realised that Seungmin had those terrible thoughts sometimes too. 

 

“I want to get out of here too.” Everybody looked to Donghan, who had remained silent the entire time but smiled slightly when he finally joined the conversation. “I’m in. We either get out of here or get killed in the process, those are the only two options. I’m with Seungmin, I can’t do this anymore. I’m tired of being a puppet, of being scared to make a mistake, of having the crap beaten out of me if I do slip up. No more. You tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it.” 

 

Seungmin exhaled deeply after his eruption and looked to Donghan with warm eyes. Eunbin jumped up while still holding onto Sei’s hand from earlier, agreeing with everything Donghan had just said. Shortly afterwards, Eric, Sei and Daewon were standing beside the others, showing Seungmin and Jeongin that they were ready to fight for their freedom. Everyone looked to Jaehan in the doorway, who huffed slightly at the little rebellious party that had formed in front of him. “Christ, well I’m not going to be the only one left behind if you guys do manage to get out of here. Fine, that’s this group’s motto then is it: Get out or die trying?” Jaehan walked back into the room to join them as they stood in a circle and glanced at each other. 

 

“They told us that there would be seven of them coming to help us but we can add to their numbers if we fight too. You guys are willing to do that, right?” Nodding heads showed Seungmin that all were ready to struggle for their freedom if it was needed, which raised morale exponentially. The frigid room that they were used to sleeping in suddenly seemed a lot warmer than it ever used to be. 

 

“I just hope that these friends of yours actually show up now after getting us so riled up,” Sei giggled, softening at the thought of finally leaving the horrid house. 

 

“I have faith that they will. I know that they will.” Of course there was always going to be a sliver of doubt within Jeongin’s mind as he believed that he may never be able to leave this house but Minho and Jisung had helped Seungmin and promised to return. He didn’t know very much about the two but he trusted them nonetheless; he had to trust them. Whether or not both boys came back with the rest of their group, it didn’t matter at this stage. It was just as Jaehan had said earlier: they were going to get out of this place or they were going to die trying. 

 

* * *

 

Red and yellow bled together as the sun’s rays slowly illuminated the room which the boys slept in. As usual, Jisung was the first to wake from his slumber, before he walked across the creaky floorboards and got dressed. He was eventually followed by the rest except for Chan, who rolled over and told the younger boy to go away when he tried to wake him, though Jisung’s persistence eventually prevailed as he managed to wake his hyung up. 

 

Once everyone had gotten up and dressed themselves, the boys went to town to eat and carefully plan out the details of the extraction to take place later on in the evening. The whole day was spent trying to figure out how to accomplish such a feat and imagining every possible scenario in their heads, especially if something went wrong. The number one rule was that you were never to leave someone behind, no matter what was going on. Everybody was going to come out of this operation alive, regardless of what happened in the house. They wanted to get the kids out as fast as possible, with the hopes of minimal injuries, though they were sure that a job like this wouldn’t be completed without a few scrapes and bruises. 

 

Before they knew it, they were asked to leave the cafe as it was beginning to close and Jisung looked to his watch which indicated 11p.m. Only an hour until they had promised Seungmin and Jeongin that they would return for them. Minho led the group through the quiet city towards their destination, with a strained silence filling the space between them. 

 

Jisung inhaled deeply through his nose as he pictured something going awry. They had planned and planned but as Jisung knew, plans didn’t always turn out as expected. His arm was suddenly linked with another when Chan came to stand beside the younger boy with a taut smile. “We can do this Jisungie, have a little bit of faith or you’re going to make the others worry that this won’t work out too.” 

 

“Heh, I don’t think my level of faith will affect the outcome of this operation, hyung.”

 

“You never know, just try it and see.” Jisung thought to himself that Chan had the true qualities of a leader when he always tried to encourage those around him, even when it was walking into a dangerous situation like this. Comforting words seemed to calm Jisung’s nerves a little as he internally thanked Chan for coming to stand by his side. 

 

At 11:45, the boys arrived at the gates of the towering mansion before looking at each other with determination in their eyes. Minho hoped that the boys inside had managed to convince the others to go along with their plan. Hyunjin rummaged around in his backpack before throwing a sphere to Jisung, who caught it with ease. After nodding towards the older boy, Jisung and Minho quickly and quietly scaled the walls as they had done previously and dropped down on the other side, close to the electric main gate. Playing with the metallic ball in his hand, Jisung scanned the area to make sure he wouldn’t be noticed before moving up to the magnetic lock beside the gate and placing Hyunjin’s creation on top of it. A hushed whistle left Minho’s lips as a signal to Hyunjin that he could detonate his device, as sparks of electricity emerged from it. The lock suddenly lost all power and allowed the others to quietly push the gate open and walk through. They had made it past the first hurdle without being detected, they just hoped the rest of the mission would go this smoothly as they walked towards the front doors to the house. 

 

“Should we knock?” Hyunjin asked sarcastically, before bending down and placing a black box over the golden latch on the front door. 

 

“Nah, I think this method of entry would work a lot better.” Felix placed his arms in front of the rest of the boys and motioned for them to move backwards, away from the explosion that was about to take place. Hyunjin quickly sprinted back to the others before pressing a little red button in his hand that made the front doors to the house blast open with a deafening boom. Weapons and shields were taken in hand as the boys made their way towards the entrance, into the house. 

 

Chan glanced at the others as he stepped through the threshold. “Well, let’s do this.” 


	12. We must conquer the fear to avoid losing the battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rescue operation begins! Graphic depictions of violence warning coming at you once again. Hope this week is going well for everyone and that you enjoy the chapter. Onwards!

Seven boys entered the house, ready to take on anyone that tried to stop them from completing their mission. As they walked through the debris that used to be the front door, Jisung led them through the house to find where they needed to go. The opposition they expected to meet however, was nowhere in sight. Minho listened carefully for any movement but there was nothing. He couldn’t understand why nobody was attacking them, why there were no alarms going off. They had planned on what to do once they were bombarded with attacks but they never thought about the fact that this part wouldn’t happen. Still on high alert, Chan looked around before straightening himself.

  
  
“We are in the correct house, right?” Minho and Jisung exchanged a glance before turning to the others.

 

“Yes, this is the right place. Where the hell is everybody?” Minho’s eyes once again turned golden in the darkness as he searched for auras around the house but something seemed to be distorting his Third Eye. Black smoke invaded his sight as a stinging sensation made him wince and double over in pain. Minho had never experienced anything that could stop his Tracker abilities, especially not something that caused him this much agony.

 

“Hyung, what’s wrong?” Jisung moved to Minho and cupped his face in his hands, trying to get the other to look at him but the excruciating pain now covering his face wouldn’t allow him to open his eyes.

 

“I can’t see anything. I-” Minho realised he couldn’t say anymore without letting the others know that he was looking for the kids’ auras, so he quickly stopped himself and shook his head to indicate to Jisung that he didn’t know what was happening. His panic soon disappeared as his eyesight slowly returned once he had deactivated his Third Eye and he saw Jisung staring at him with worried eyes, still holding onto his face. “Ah, Jisung, I’m alright, I can see you again.”

  
  
“What the hell was that? And why did it only affect you?” Chan placed his hand on the back of Minho’s neck before rubbing it soothingly.

 

“I-I don’t know, I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It doesn’t matter, I’m fine now. Let’s get going quickly before we get attacked.”

 

Minho, still slightly dazed, made his way to the metal door and picked the lock again before throwing it onto the ground. The others watched his back as, just because nobody had attacked them yet, didn’t mean that someone wasn’t going to. With the door swinging open, the boys carefully made their way down the stairs, though the quietness of the underground prison made their skin crawl. When Minho and Jisung had entered the place the previous night, there had been snores and mumbles emanating from the rooms as an indication that there were people down here. Tonight, there was simply silence. Minho held up a hand to signal to the other boys to stop as he moved to the corner of Seungmin’s room, gripping the door frame and peering inside. Minho thanked whoever gave him a class with quick reflexes because if he had been any slower, there was no way in hell that he would have been able to dodge the fist that came flying towards him. Grabbing the wrist of whoever went to punch him, he tugged hard and came face to face with Seungmin, who looked a little startled at the roughness of Minho’s actions. He immediately softened and threw his arms around the older boy’s shoulders before sighing into his neck. “Minho hyung, you actually came back for us…”

 

Minho could feel the vibrations coursing throughout the boy’s body as he placed his arms around him and smiled at the fact that Seungmin was already referring to him as his hyung. “We told you that we would. Come on, we don’t have a lot of time, are all of you ready to go?”

 

Seungmin fell backwards and nodded before gesturing to the other seven adolescents who were full of determination and vigour; ready to get out of this horrid place.

 

“Seungmin, where is everyone else? Where is Siwan?” Jisung moved to usher the others out of the room towards the stairs while the older boys made sure they were all ok.

 

“What? I don’t know. Wasn’t he upstairs when you guys entered? We heard the explosion from down here so we figured that you had fought him before you came to us. There was really nobody up there?” Jisung shook his head, causing Seungmin’s brow to crease in confusion.

 

At the end of the stairs, Jeongin moved up to stand beside Chan, who shared an empathetic smile with the younger boy. “Chan...hyung? I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for pushing you away when you saved me the other day. I shouldn’t have done that, you were just trying to help-”

 

Chan moved his hands to Jeongin’s face to stop the boy from speaking. “Jeongin, you don’t have to apologise for anything. I know you left to help Seungmin, which was very brave of you, so don’t worry, ok? We don’t have much time so we need to keep moving. We’ll talk later when we’re out of here, alright?” Jeongin nodded happily as Chan took his hand in his.

 

Woojin and Hyunjin led the way with Felix and Jisung watching the rear. Still no sign of any enemies, which worried all of them immensely. This was too easy and all of them knew that something was strange; nothing in this game was easy. They saw the entrance which they had come through earlier and began to escort the others outside but before they could move any further, a rigid voice called out to them.

 

“Gentlemen, you do realise that breaking and entering is a crime, even within Phantasm? You will have to replace my door. It was made from pure sandalwood and as you may know, it is very expensive.”

 

Everyone’s gaze moved to the tall, slender man placed in front of them. He looked to be in his late twenties, though his demeanor had an air of sophistication about it. His honeyed voice suited his sculpted face and refined state of dress and the group wondered if this could be the man that they were looking for or rather, hoping to avoid. Their assumption seemed to be correct when all of his victims hid behind their rescuers as soon as they saw him.

 

“Siwan, I presume?” Woojin had broken the stillness of the room while the man smiled and adjusted his tie.

 

“Ah, it seems that I am already famous amongst you, even though I very rarely reveal my name to anybody. How is it that you’ve come to know of it?” The others weren’t going to out Seungmin by saying he had told Hyunjin about him, so they remained silent and glared back at the man.

 

“Protecting the boy, are you? Don’t worry, I already know it was Seungmin and he will be punished accordingly.” A deep growl left Hyunjin as he grabbed Seungmin’s arm and placed himself in front of the younger boy, using his body to protect him. He wasn’t going to let Seungmin get hurt when he had the power to stop it, not again.

 

“In fact I know pretty much everything you boys discussed here last night.” He pointed towards the group with his index finger and twirled it above their heads. “Jisung and Minho are the two that broke in here last night, correct? Chan, you are the one that caught Jeongin when he fell from the stage. Hyunjin, you were the one who discovered Seungmin trying to steal from you in the crowd and that is when he told you about me. You, my boy, interest me. Not only could you see through Seungmin’s illusions but you are also an Alchemist. I would very much like to add you to my collection.” Felix’s grasped Hyunjin’s wrist, slowly tightening his grip as Siwan referred to him as if he were some sort of toy to be played with. Jisung grimaced at the fact that Siwan had known everything that had happened the previous night, that they would return to rescue all of them. He thought that they had been so thorough and careful and began to wonder how he had managed to figure it out.

 

“As for the rest of you, I’m not all that interested, so I’m afraid you are of no use to me. Eliminate the intruders but leave the Alchemist.” Siwan grinned viciously as a group of men appeared from around every corner of the house, a group much larger than they had anticipated, with either swords gracing their hands or guns pointed at the group of boys. Everyone was suddenly backed into a corner while numerous weapons were aimed at them.

 

Ripples filled the air as Seungmin stepped out from behind Hyunjin, slowly followed by Jaehan. Both placed their palms in front of them as they used their respective powers to bewilder the enemies in front of them. Seungmin had created copies of everyone in their group causing the guards to become confused and shoot at the wrong targets. Their perplexed states only became more stressed as Jaehan bent the air around them to make their bullets fly in the wrong directions; some of them hitting their allies instead of their enemies. Hyunjin rushed forward and threw a golden cylinder underneath the attackers which emitted a noxious gas, causing Siwan’s men to cough and grasp at their throats; some running towards the open doorway for fresh air. A snow white shield formed around the smaller group, courtesy of Changbin, to protect them from Hyunjin’s creation and and the other attacks that were coming their way. Eric and Chan moved to attack the men with their weapons after Eric had stolen one from an enemy's hands. They quickly took down numerous men while watching each others backs, completely in sync. Chan and the others still held onto the idea that killing others was too morally ambiguous, even if they probably did deserve it and it became obvious that the kids being held hostage didn’t have killers among their numbers either as Eric used his sword to maim rather than murder the guards. It seemed to Chan that they still retained some of their innocence despite everything that they had been through.

 

Eunbin glided to the middle of the room with Sei still by her side and unleashed a blaze towards Siwan’s men, making them cry out in pain as they tried to put out the fire now covering their clothing and a satisfied smile spread across the young girl’s pretty face. Eric threw the sword he had obtained to Sei just in time to allow her to stop an oncoming attack from one of Siwan’s men, before stabbing him in the leg. When he saw the fulfillment and pleasure that spread across their faces, Minho couldn’t help but sympathise with them as he knew exactly how they felt in finally getting revenge on those who had treated them so terribly before moving to join in the fight himself.

 

Felix moved to stand beside Jeongin, who seemed unable to defend himself due to the fact that he didn’t want to use his abilities and since Felix knew exactly what that felt like, a great sense of protectiveness came over him as he tried to shield the younger boy. He placed his whip around an enemy’s leg before pulling it taut, causing the man to come crashing to the ground. Daewon moved over to the guard that Felix had brought down before clawing at his chest, similar to how a Bafrer would, which startled Felix a little but he knew he didn’t have time to be scared right now. Everybody held their own in the battle, with some injuries occuring as Chan was grazed by a stray bullet and with Hyunjin being sliced on the arm by an enemies sword, though nobody had been seriously hurt.

 

Nobody had killed their opponents but all of them lay squirming on the floor, groaning and crying at the hurt they were suffering through; most falling unconscious from the pain. Siwan had positioned himself right in the middle of the battle, yet, he had not moved to help his men in any way. The only time he made any sort of motion was when some blood was splattered on his face and he reached inside of his pocket to reveal a satin handkerchief, which he used to clean his blemished face before placing it back inside of his coat. Out of breath and shaky from the fight, all of his opposition stood in front of him with hate filled glances as the older man began to laugh at the events that had occured in front of him.

 

“My, my, I didn’t think that all of you would have that much strength to fight back. You made my men look like amateurs even though they were all highly trained. I’ll have to find more competent followers when I get rid of all of you for causing me so much trouble.” Siwan glanced around his home before sighing deeply. “Ah, look at what you’ve done to my palace, these blood stains will take forever to get out.”

  
  
Calmness laced Siwan’s voice, which bothered Chan very much. It was like he hadn’t just witnessed all of his men being incapacitated in the heat of battle while he was now face to face with fifteen enemies; most of which were out for his blood.

 

“You’re wondering why I’m not worried, aren’t you? I know, I can smell your concern, just as I did last night when you entered the house. You boys have very unique scents, so when I sniffed them out last night, I knew that you didn’t belong in my home. Heightened senses are a perk of my class. That’s why I was able to hear you breaking in through the window, how I felt your fear when one of my men almost caught you, how I heard every single word that you said to my trinkets.” Minho narrowed his eyes at Siwan before the man bared his sharp teeth. Brown eyes shifted to crimson and tremors enveloped Minho’s hands as he stepped backwards. Subconsciously pulling Jisung closer to him, the younger boy looked concerned at the fear in Minho’s features.

 

“We need to leave, now.”

 

Jisung’s eyes darted between Minho and Siwan, his anxiety growing with each second. “Hyung, what’s wrong? Why are you acting-”

  
  
“A Behemoth. He’s a Behemoth class.”

 

The Thief’s stomach twisted in terror as he soon realised why Minho had looked so horrified. Before Jisung could relay the message to the others, a low snarl came from Siwan’s mouth, causing everyone to move away from the man. Elongated canines fell from his lips, his eyes enveloped in white, causing all colour and sense of humanity to vanish. Siwan’s pinstripe suit ripped loudly as his limbs became coated in a grey fur and kept growing until he towered over the group. Twisted horns protruding from his forehead were met with a flame red mane that flew down to a muscular tail. Felix moved backwards out of instinct and tripped on the broken wood of the door, gazing at the gigantic beast that the house could barely contain. Razor sharp nails scraped along the wooden floors while colossal claws made their way towards the group. All that filled the silence were the low growls coming from the beast’s mouth.

 

“We need to run. We can’t take something like that on, no matter how many of us there are,” Hyunjin whispered, with Seungmin nestled firmly against his back once again. He could hear the boy’s shaky breaths against his ear and knew by this that Seungmin had never seen Siwan’s shifted form before either.

 

“You think that I’m going to let you leave just like that?” Everyone jumped slightly at the deep, stentorian growl that came from Siwan’s beastly form. “I don’t know if any of you are worth the trouble of keeping around. I think I would get more pleasure from seeing your heads rolling across the floor at this stage. Let’s start with the small one.”

 

Chan’s hand suddenly became empty as Jeongin’s was ripped away from his. The boy was harshly thrown across the room by Siwan’s powerful tail, causing Jeongin to cry out in pain as he came into contact with a wooden table that was demolished under his weight. Woojin gasped in surprise before he tried to stop Seungmin, who was already running towards his friend, Hyunjin following him almost immediately. Moving the broken wood out of the way, both boys sat Jeongin up as he winced at the pain coming from the laceration on his forehead.

 

Minho unsheathed his Katana before running to Chan’s side and placing his hand on his shoulder. “Hyung, we need to fight. We can’t just stand here and take this. The kids are going to get hurt if we don’t.”

 

Minho was pretty knowledgeable about most classes in in Phantasm, so when he realised that Siwan was a Behemoth, he began to panic. He knew what people like this were capable of. Sure, he had taken care of so many monsters before but none compared to this, nothing was as dangerous. He thought back to the Gollias that he had fought with the others, which was exceedingly strong but slow at the same time, with low comprehension. However, Siwan’s Behemoth form still held onto the intelligence he possessed as a human, while his monstrous size did nothing to affect his quickness. Minho thought that fighting it may have been different if he had been alone but now there were people that he needed to protect.

 

Chan quickly nodded as he tried to repeat Minho’s thoughts to the other boys in his group. While Siwan’s gaze still fell upon Jeongin, Felix took the whip from his belt and aimed just above the beast’s head. He was terrified of the monster that stood in front on him, his legs almost giving out from how badly he was shaking but realised that everyone beside him was in the same situation. When his weapon came into contact with the sprinkler that projected from the ceiling, water began to rain down upon them, drenching Siwan in the process. Upon seeing what Felix had been thinking, Eunbin quickly rushed forward and raised her arms. Electricity sparked from her fingertips towards the man who had caused her so much pain, as she unleashed lighting upon his damp fur. A piercing growl left Siwan’s mouth as static surged through his body, causing him to convulse. Hyunjin had moved to the fore, while adding to Eunbin’s firepower with mechanisms of his own. Similar to what he had used on the front gate, a ball of copper flew underneath the beast and amplified the shockwaves being sent through Siwan’s muscles. Freeing himself from the pain, he targeted both the Black Mage and Alchemist with rage in his eyes. Placing his enormous paw through the floor caused the boards to crack, sending Eunbin and Hyunjin to fall to the floor below with a loud crash.

 

“Hyunjin!”

  
  
“Eunbin!”

 

Felix and Sei moved to gaping hole in the floor while calling their friend’s names but no replies came. Preying on their time of weakness, Siwan brushed both out of the way with one strong motion as they came into contact with opposite walls, causing them to fall unconscious. Seeing Felix harshly coming into contact with the ground, Changbin’s emotions flared once again and moved forward to attack before he was stopped by Jisung.

  
  
“Hyung, our numbers are diminishing quickly and it’s because we’re splitting up. We need to stay in formation or we are going to get annihilated.” Changbin’s fingers curled into his palms as he fought the urge to run to Felix’s side.  

 

Though they fought with all of their might, it seemed that nothing could stop the monster that knocked all of them down with quick and precise movements. Chan and Minho charged at Siwan with their weapons, managing to mark the beast but not making much of an impact before they were grabbed and thrown out the front door, colliding with the gravel of the walkway outside. Woojin and Changbin, with the aid of Eric, Daewon and Donghan, tried to slow down the monster’s movements before trying to attack it. Woojin’s lips parted as he began to sing but barely managed to finish the first line of his tune before somebody came flying towards him, pushing him to the ground. He raised himself to find a knocked out boy on top of him. Woojin realised he had been with Seungmin at the beginning causing reality to distort. Within minutes, everyone in the rebellious group was on the ground, writhing in pain caused by Siwan.

 

The Behemoth slowly moved to his prey to complete the task he had begun. Towering over an injured Woojin and Jaehan, he raised his matted paw before bringing it down on top of their heads. Instead of the crunching of bones, smoke enveloped his leg, signaling to him that an illusion had tricked him into attacking thin air. Siwan raised his nose to the ceiling to find the little mouse that had caused him to attack a copy of his quarry. Smelling the scent of lavender and fear, he rushed towards the boy firmly positioned against a bookcase, bleeding from a gash in his cheek and breathing heavily. Pushing him to the ground, Siwan placed a paw over the boy’s chest.

 

“Ah, Seungmin, you had such potential. Why couldn’t you simply keep quiet and do as you were told?” Though he hadn’t been hurt badly, Seungmin could see that Siwan’s energy was beginning to diminish rapidly, as he slowly reverted back to his human form, the pressure on the boy’s chest easing slightly. Fetching a long fur coat from the corner, Siwan placed it over himself as he returned to Seungmin’s side. “My boy, how did your daring escape plan turn out for you? All of your friends are knocked unconscious and once my men awaken, we will take all of them back underground and torture them to our hearts content until they scream for us to stop. They won’t think about running away if I give them incentive. I’ll show them what happens when you turn against someone like me and you’re going to help me demonstrate how.”

 

Though Siwan was a human again, Seungmin noticed the Behemoth’s claws were still present in place of his own hands. Kneeling closely to the boy, he bent his head to whisper in Seungmin’s ear. “It’s a shame to lose such a talented kid but I’m sure I’ll stumble across another Illusionist eventually.” A sharp nail was placed over Seungmin’s heart before it pierced the flesh on his chest and began to seep deeper and deeper, causing the Illusionist to scream in agony. Due to the state he was in, however, Seungmin was unable to fight back. Little energy remained in his body and whatever was left was being used for his lungs to cry out in pain.

 

“Stop!” Siwan’s hand ceased movement as he turned to look at Jeongin standing on wobbly legs with dark blood running down his face.

 

“Ah, Jeongin, perfect timing. I would prefer someone to witness Seungmin’s murder so that you can pass on the gorey details to the others later on. That will make the fear really set in. Come closer my boy, you can't appreciate it fully from over there.” Siwan resumed torturing Seungmin with a sadistic smile gracing his lips as the Illusionist cried out once again.

 

“I told you to stop…” Jeongin’s voice lowered dangerously as he glowered at Siwan.

 

A light chuckle from the man kneeling in front of him caused Jeongin’s emotions to darken even further, with Siwan looking at him in disbelief. “I’m sorry? You’re telling _me_ what to do? Jeongin, I know you’ve only entered the house recently but you should already know, that’s not how this works. Stay there like a good little boy and watch.” Before Siwan could sink his claws any deeper into Seungmin’s chest, a black haze began to swirl around his feet, rising upwards into his face. The tension flowing through the room became palpable as Siwan turned to face the young boy.

 

Jeongin’s eyes glowed a deep, verdant green as his hair was tousled by the smoke enveloping his body. “When I tell you to stop hurting my friend, you do it. It wasn’t a suggestion.” A dark mist fell from the boy’s mouth as he spoke in a monotone voice, making Siwan retract his claws and stand to steady himself for what was about to come. Low moans emanated from the empty air around him as Siwan backed himself into a corner, stepping over Seungmin’s twitching body. Jeongin moved closer to Siwan, the man’s eyes growing wide when the boy was suddenly joined by others, though they were not of this world. Spirits of the departed flocked to Jeongin’s side in the form of skeletons, whose charred bones creaked when they walked.

 

“What the fuck is this? W-what are you doing? Get the hell away from me, you freak!”

 

Even in the midst of battle, the words that Jeongin was so used to hearing pierced through his heart like a knife before he controlled himself and turned back to the man. “Siwan, I thought you knew what I was capable of. You said that I had promise and you were right, you just never knew how much.” The ghosts moved towards the terrified man as he could no longer turn into the heaving Behemoth that he had been earlier after exhausting all of his energy attacking the other boys. “You thought you had won but you’ve lost in the worst possible way.”

 

Raising his arms to protect himself from the oncoming attack, Siwan kept shouting obscenities, though he could do nothing to stop the souls of the damned who were coming for him. Just as their brittle hands descended on his neck, a weak grasp was placed upon Jeongin’s wrist, causing him to turn his emerald eyes towards Seungmin, who was barely keeping himself in a standing position.

  
“J-Jeongin, stop. You’re not a killer, not like him. If you keep going at this pace, your power is going to drain your life force. You’re a better person than he will ever be, don’t stoop to his level.” Jeongin knew that Seungmin wanted the man dead just as much as he did but also knew that he didn’t want him to have blood on his hands either. As Siwan’s shouts filled the living room, everything reverted back to normal, the dusky skeletons vanishing from sight.

 

Seungmin sighed in relief, collapsing to the floor and cradling his injured chest as he noticed Jeongin’s eyes return back to the soft brown that they had always been while he seemed to snap out of a trance. Slow footsteps walking away from him caused Seungmin to look up at Jeongin before he knelt down in front of Siwan and began to speak to the petrified man who had nearly lost his life.

 

“We’re leaving and you are not going to come after us. You will not follow us. You will not look for us. You will not ask around town about us. You will not even think about us ever again because if you do, I will not stop the souls from taking yours. Am I making myself clear?” Siwan snarled at the young boy but Jeongin knew by the look in his eyes that he had understood his threat. Standing again, Jeongin made his way over to Seungmin and gathered up the injured boy who was drifting in and out of consciousness. He threw his arm around the older boy’s shoulder and left Siwan sitting in the middle of the floor.

 

Once in the foyer, Jeongin noticed numerous pairs of eyes on him, filled with a slight sense of terror due to the events that had just occurred. Everyone was awake now, with Hyunjin and Eunbin rejoining the group on the ground floor with minimal injuries. Jeongin bit his lip as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. He knew this would happen, the stares he was so used to receiving because of his terrifying powers were upon him once again. He was naive enough to hope that their saviors might hold a different opinion of him compared to everyone else but cursed himself for believing such a thing could occur. Before he could take another step, Hyunjin was at his side to assist him in carrying Seungmin, a slight grin on his face as he spoke with a quiet tone. “Nicely done Jeongin, you saved Seungmin and all of us for that matter. You stopped him, all by yourself.”

 

Jeongin’s mouth fell open slightly due to the shock of the compliment he had just received. Someone had praised him for his abilities and that was weirder than anything he had ever experienced in the game.

 

When Seungmin’s head lolled onto Hyunjin’s shoulder, he scooped the younger boy into his arms and carried him over to the rest of the group, who were still staring at Jeongin. Chan noticed that the boy’s legs rocked beneath him after he stepped forward and knew what was about to happen since he had experienced it all before. The Knight dashed forward to grab the Necromancer just as he passed out. Chan pushed Jeongin’s hair out of his face before he felt the heat radiating off of his forehead. He realised that this was exactly the same as the last time he had caught him, though this seemed to be a more adverse reaction, probably a side effect of using his powers that put so much of a strain on his body to such an extent.

 

Small groans from Siwan’s men caused all of them to be alert, with Minho moving to the front door. “Everyone up! We need to leave while we have the chance. Jeongin didn’t use his powers for nothing, he gave us an opportunity and we need to take it! Let’s move!”

 

Hyunjin moved ahead with Seungmin still in his arms while Chan followed him, cradling Jeongin close to his chest. Sei, Eunbin and Jaehan huddled together while Daewon, Donghan and Eric grasped hands and moved towards Minho. Jisung and Changbin supported Felix, having garnered a concussion from banging off of the wall earlier in the fight. Woojin glanced back at the mess of bodies on the floor, before putting his arm around Minho’s back and ushering him to follow all of the others. The Bard shut the gate firmly behind them as they ran into the dark city. 

 

* * *

 

 

Once they had gotten a safe distance away from the nightmarish house, the group gathered on the uninhabited main street, only illuminated by the dim street lights.

 

“Do you think we’re safe for now?” Hyunjin sat on the curb, hugging an unconscious Seungmin with protective arms. All of their energies had been exhausted and most were unable to remain standing.

 

“I don’t think that Siwan will come after us right away, not after what Jeongin did to him.” Eunbin clasped Sei’s hand in hers, smiling endearingly at the other girl. “But man, this kid’s powers are really terrifying, huh?”

 

Chan stared at the motionless boy in his arms, rubbing his back to comfort him, even in his sleep. “Terrifying or not, he saved our asses back there. I’m pretty sure that none of you would be free if Jeongin hadn’t stepped in and used his abilities.” Everyone seemed to agree with Chan’s observation before he looked at Changbin for an explanation. “You said that everyone’s class is based on their life in the real world. What the hell kind of life did Jeongin have to allow him to possess a class like a Necromancer?”  


Changbin bit his lip as he looked to Woojin with sadness in his eyes. “If Jeongin is a Necromancer, it means that...it means that he managed to return from the brink of death. I can’t imagine what he has already gone through if he holds a class like that. Poor kid.”

  
Chan gazed at the boy with pity, running his fingers through his damp hair. Whoever ran this game seemed to have a twisted sense of humour. Kids like Jeongin and Jisung had such tragic pasts and were put in this game, only to suffer more.

 

“Guys, we need to go back to the inn. Seungmin doesn’t look so good and he’s starting to run a fever.” Hyunjin’s hand was placed on the young boy’s forehead, his complexion becoming more ghostly with each passing second. Changbin ran to his side to allow whatever was left of his healing energy to flow into him, while Felix was already uncorking a bottle of the healing potion that they had brought with them to help Seungmin hold out for a little bit longer before they made their way back to where they were staying.

 

“Um, thank you all so much for coming to help us.” The boys turned their attention away from Seungmin to stare at Sei, who was surrounded by the other kids who had been freed from their prison. “You’ve done so much for us and I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to repay you but...we’re not sticking around here longer than we have to. We’re thinking about leaving the city together tonight. We don’t know if Siwan will come after us but we’d rather get a head start if he does make that decision. The six of us are going to stick together and try to make it on our own. Are you going to take care of Seungmin and Jeongin?”  


The others couldn’t fault the group for wanting to get away from this place as fast as possible but worried about what they would do with no money or supplies to keep them going before Woojin spoke up. “Yeah, we’ll take care of them but we’ll take care of you guys a bit as well. I wouldn’t feel right if we got you out of there before simply sending you on your way. Here, take this.” Woojin threw a small bag of coins towards Jaehan as he rummaged through it.

  
  
“Woah, there must be three thousand coins in here. Why would you…?”

  
  
“Ah, take these as well.” Minho rummaged through his bag before producing four bottles filled with the green liquid they had become so familiar with in the last couple of days. The healing potions jangled as he placed them in Donghan and Eric’s hands.

 

“Are you guys some sort of good samaritans? Do you just do good deeds and expect nothing in return?” Daewon looked at all of them as a puzzled look spread across their faces before smiling.

  
“Uh, yeah, pretty much. You guys needed help so we gave it to you. Is there some sort of problem?” All of them shook their heads immediately towards Jisung to show that they were fine with their selflessness and thanked them once again. Eunbin led the way as they shook hands with all of their saviours and began to walk away towards the gates of the city.

 

Jeongin mumbled in his sleep and the boys took this as an indication that it was time to go back to their rooms.

 

“Guys, what do we do if Siwan does eventually come after Seungmin and Jeongin?” Felix sounded a little worried at the thought of the boys being attacked by the monstrous form of Siwan once again.

 

“Then we will protect them. We beat him once and we will do it again if needed and next time, we will be even more prepared.” Jisung stared at the two unconscious boys with determination in his eyes, which Minho smiled at affectionately, though he knew that they didn’t need to worry about such a thing happening again. Minho turned to look at the house they had escaped from before moving to follow the boys as they made their way back to the inn.

 

* * *

 

After Siwan had admonished and chastised his men for a disgraceful job at protecting their merchandise, he began to plan on how to get them all back. He didn’t care about Jeongin’s little threat, he would be more prepared the next time he met them, more prepared to fight the monsters the boy had produced. Siwan gathered himself as he headed upstairs to plan his assault on the youngsters.

 

“Jesus, I was going to try knocking but it looks like you guys don’t even have a door anymore.” Siwan’s head whipped towards the entrance to see a tall, young man standing there with his fist raised.

 

Weary from the earlier fight, Siwan had no energy left to try and be pretentious, his anger getting the better of him. “Who the fuck are you? You have a lot of nerve to come into my house like this.”

 

The boy smirked as he ventured inside the front hall, with Siwan’s men staring at the new arrival with disbelief. “Aww, you guys look pretty beaten up. Did you lose a fight?” Glares and impropriety were thrown at the young man before he held his hands up in front of him to protect himself from their words. “Shit, never mind. You guys obviously don’t take losses very well.”

 

Siwan made his way towards the blond boy before speaking in a low tone. “I asked you a question. Who. The Fuck. Are you?”

 

“Such an impolite man. You know, in an introduction, you’re supposed to give your own name first before asking someone elses. I suppose it doesn’t make that much of a difference since I already know who you are.” The fire in Siwan’s eyes let the boy know that he was no longer interested in playing his games.

 

“Fine, fine. I’m afraid if you boys are upset now, you’re not going to like what’s coming. My name is Yukhei and I’m here on a bit of a mission for a... _friend_ of mine. You want to go after those kids? Well, I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. You won’t be leaving this house again. Those kids won’t be harmed by you people any longer.”

 

Siwan had endured enough as he moved forward to grab the boy. His hand was placed on Yukhei’s jacket momentarily before it quickly fell to the ground after one fluid movement from Yukhei’s blade. Siwan screamed in pain, dropping to his knees, his severed hand placed directly in front on him.

 

“I think that you should all experience the tremendous pain that you put those kids through but then again, it would probably be easier to just do this.” Siwan looked towards the boy to see what he was referring to before he felt the cold steel of Yukhei’s blade against his throat. “Toodles Siwan, you won’t be able to hurt anyone anymore.” Blood splattered on the walls of Siwan’s home as his lifeless body fell to the floor with a thump. Wiping the crimson liquid off of his face with his thumb, Yukhei turned to face Siwan’s men, grinning cruelly. “Well, who’s next?”


	13. If you want to see the sunshine, you'll have to weather the storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you all for your comments on the last chapter. You all had a lot to say regarding Siwan and surprisingly, Yukhei. Some seem to have grown attached? He may come back into play, we'll see! Anyway, a little bit of a fluffier chapter after the rough ride last week. Hope you guys like it.

Hyunjin played with the threadbare blankets hanging from the bed as he leaned against its frame whilst sitting on the uncomfortable floor. It was his turn to watch over the two unconscious boys as the other members of his group slept in their adjacent bedrooms. He had volunteered to be first and Chan would take over in a couple of hours, once he had re-energised himself. Jeongin, who was breathing peacefully, was placed in the bed on the opposite side of the room to where he was sitting. At one stage he had begun to sob in his sleep, his whimpers laced with despair. Hyunjin moved to his bedside and tenderly ran his fingers through the boy’s dishevelled hair to quieten his cries. Jeongin subconsciously moved into his warm touch and Hyunjin thought that he was probably so devoid of human interaction that he craved it even when he was asleep. The elder began to wonder about Jeongin’s life before he entered Phantasm due to the class that he possessed and thought that whatever the younger boy had endured, it couldn’t have been easy.

 

A small groan from the bed he had been leaning against earlier caused Hyunjin to hop up and move towards it with delicate movements. Seungmin’s eyes began to flutter open as Hyunjin loomed over him with a hopeful expression; the enthusiastic feeling flowing throughout his body. Before he could even open his mouth, a forceful hand latched onto his throat, acute nails indenting themselves into Hyunjin’s skin, causing him to choke slightly. Eyes filled with fire and resolve stared back at him before softening as the grip on his throat eased slightly but didn’t completely detach. 

 

“Ah, I-I’m sorry, I acted out of instinct. I didn’t mean to-”

 

Hyunjin rubbed his tender throat, which was now free of the other’s grasp before smiling faintly. “Hey, don’t worry, it’s alright. You’re more than entitled to be a little bit edgy after what you went through. You recognise me though, right?”

 

“Minho hyung said your name was Hyunjin. You were the one I failed to steal from during my performance. I’m really sorry that I tried to do that to you by the way, I just-I didn’t really have much of a choice.”

 

Hyunjin deflated with a satisfied smile as he sat on the side of the younger boy’s bed. “Yeah, I’m Hyunjin and you don’t have to explain yourself to me, Minnie. I pretty much know what you were forced to do, so don’t be upset. We’re good.” 

 

Seungmin raised his eyebrows at the nickname that Hyunjin had adopted for him. Nobody, not even his parents, had ever called him anything other than his given name, so he found himself giggling at the sudden, strange familiarity between himself and the boy he had just been properly introduced to. This, in turn, caused Hyunjin to grin slightly as both boys hid their faces from one another. 

 

Seungmin lazily gazed around the room before his eyes fell on Jeongin’s small form. He frantically began to kick his blankets off, causing them to become even more tangled with his limbs than they already were. Pushing himself off of the bed to make his way over to his friend, his legs immediately crumpled beneath him. Hyunjin moved swiftly to fall beside the young Illusionist, placing his protective arms around the younger boy’s waist to steady him. 

 

“Woah, what are you doing?” 

  
  
“Is Jeongin alright? He used his Necromancer abilities to save me and they take up so much of his energy that he becomes dangerously weak. Is he ok? Please tell me he’s going to be fine.” Hyunjin’s grip on the other tightened when he realised he was beginning to tremble slightly. 

 

“Ok, firstly, you need to get back into bed. Do you not realise that you were stabbed? Changbin hyung said Siwan was only millimeters away from piercing your heart. You need to slow down a little bit, ok?” Hyunjin smiled reassuringly at the terrified boy, his fingers pulsating with a calming rhythm on Seungmin’s waistline. “Secondly, yes, Jeongin is going to be fine. He just requires a bit more rest. Like you said, his energy was drained, so he’s pretty much knocked out but Changbin hyung said he should return to normal soon.” 

 

Seungmin’s stare was fixed on the younger boy throughout Hyunjin’s entire monologue, though he had paid attention to everything the older boy was saying. He turned to look at Hyunjin, the appreciation for all of his help being conveyed without words through his soft features. Grasping the older boy’s hand, which was still firmly placed on his waist, Seungmin was slowly guided back to his bed, where the cozy blankets were quickly placed back over him by the other. The silence bounced off of the walls before it was broken by Hyunjin’s quiet voice. 

 

“Seungmin, I’m so sorry for letting all of this happen to you.” 

 

The Illusionist frowned at Hyunjin’s words as he tried to recollect what it was that the boy could be alluding to. “You’re sorry? For what? What exactly are we referring to here?” 

 

“When that guy took you away from me in the crowd after your performance, I could have stopped him but I didn’t, even though I knew you were probably in trouble. I wouldn’t blame you if you thought poorly of me. I just-I’m really sorry for not helping you out.”

 

“Wait, what? What the hell are you talking about? Why would I blame you for something like that? I asked you at the time to forget about everything I told you and I’m glad that you didn’t come after me right away or you might have gotten hurt too. It was for your sake as much as it was for mine. You have no idea what these bastards are capable of. So, please Hyunjin, you don’t need to apologise because you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just glad everybody ended up safe.”

 

Minho had been right. Nobody blamed him for not stepping in to help the boy, not even Seungmin and right now, none of that seemed to matter. All of them had gotten out of the house without too much damage. Changbin seemed to fret a little too much over Felix’s concussion but Jisung was sure that he had been adequately healed. The Thief commented that it was just Changbin overreacting because of  _ who  _ had been injured, which made Hyunjin retch mockingly at the Medic’s sentimentality towards his friend. 

 

“Everybody  _ did  _ get out safe right? What about the others from the house? What about your team?” Hyunjin chuckled at the younger boy’s selflessness as he asked about the welfare of everyone else but seemed to disregard his own injuries. 

 

“The others from the house have left already. Pretty much as soon as they got out of that place, they asked us if we would take care of you and once they were sure that you would be safe, they exited the city. As for everyone in our group, there were a few minor injuries but nothing overly serious.” Seungmin nodded as Hyunjin became lost in his thoughts. No matter how much they prepared themselves for the mission, nobody could have predicted how it would have really gone. He thanked his lucky stars that they managed to both complete their goal and get away with all of them still in tact.

 

Quiet sobs brought Hyunjin back to reality as he looked at Seungmin with worried eyes, the younger boy trying to hide his face in his hands. 

 

“Minnie? Wait, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Hyunjin hastily moved further up the bed to grasp that boy’s wrists and pry them away from his face. His features became contorted with surprise when he saw that Seungmin was laughing through the tears now falling down his face. 

 

“I-I just can’t believe I’m out of that place. Months upon months in that house made me believe that nobody would ever care enough to come and help me. Yet, here I am with you. I made it out alive and with Jeongin too. They can’t hurt us anymore. They can’t-” 

 

The joyous smile which Hyunjin thought he could look at forever suddenly fell from Seungmin’s lips, his tears starting to flow even harder. “What if they come after us though? What if they take us back? I don’t want to go, Hyunjin, I don’t want to go through that again.” A vice like grip was placed around Hyunjin’s hands as Seungmin’s eyes silently pleaded with him. “Promise me, if they ever try to bring me back there, you’ll kill me before they can.”

 

Hyunjin felt like ice had replaced the blood flowing through his veins as he listened to Seungmin’s request. “I don’t know if I could do it myself. The thought of dying is paralyzing but being brought back to that hellish place is even more so. So, please, if they do try to bring me back, kill-” 

 

Strong arms were placed around Seungmin’s neck, his face now buried in Hyunjin’s chest while the boy hugged him with all of his might. “We won’t let them take you Minnie, don’t ever worry about that, ok? We will do our best to keep the two of you safe.” 

  
  
“But what if your best isn’t good enough? Hyunjin, you don’t know these guys like I do. They’re ruthless and persistent and have no problem with killing people, even if they’re kids. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” Seungmin looked to Jeongin as he thought about all of the times they had come close to being killed because their beatings had been so severe. Broken jaws, cracked ribs, dislocated shoulders, cuts and bruises from fists and shoes; all were familiar to the young occupants of Siwan’s home. Hyunjin’s grip on the younger boy hadn’t loosened as Seungmin’s breathing began to even out at the contact that soothed him. 

 

“I know exactly what these guys are like, believe me. I’m going to tell you something kind of personal but try not to judge me too harshly, alright? I just- Felix and I were in dire straits and we were desperate, so we had no choice but to resort to this.” Hyunjin went on to explain his story about his time in Phantasm to Seungmin; talking about Seunghyun and his gang and how they were exceedingly similar in personality to Siwan and his men. Mentioning how Felix had been hurt caused Hyunjin to grimace at the painful but distant memory, which Seungmin obviously picked up on as he began to pat the older boy’s hand to soothe his anxiety. 

 

Seungmin sat quietly through Hyunjin’s explanation as his heart broke after hearing all they had to endure, before perking up when he heard about the other boys and how they too had rescued Hyunjin and Felix from their grave situation. “So, you guys just travel around together to try and beat the game and look after each other? Like a family?”

  
  
Hyunjin laughed through his nose at the boy’s innocent and quizzical expression as he asked the adorable question. “Yeah, I guess that we are a family. If you’d like, you and Jeongin can join it too. We aren’t going to leave you guys after getting you out of that place but…” Hyunjin didn’t really want to continue to give the boys the other choice but knew he couldn’t keep them here if they didn’t want to stay. “...if you want to try and make your own way like the others did, then we completely understand. We just want you to know that you have the option.” 

 

Seungmin felt the pressure alleviate in his chest as he grabbed onto the Alchemist’s hands. “Yes.” 

 

“Yes?”

 

“Yes, I would really like to join your group. I don’t think I could protect Jeongin by myself and as much as he would like to believe it, I don’t think Jeongin could protect me either. I’m still worried that Siwan won’t give up on us, so if you guys were around, maybe we would stand a chance.” Seungmin smiled shyly towards Hyunjin but quickly explained that he wasn’t simply using their group to stay safe. He had only talked with Hyunjin, Minho and Jisung but he could already tell that they were trustworthy and welcoming people who he would enjoy travelling with, if he were allowed. 

 

“Alright then, I’ll let the others know when they wake up. Welcome to the family, Minnie.” Hyunjin moved to ruffle the other boy’s hair, which garnered a response in the form of a delightful giggle. 

 

“Hyung, what are you doing?” 

  
Both boys quickly moved away from each other at the sudden voice which intruded upon their intimate moment. They turned their eyes towards the other bed where Jeongin was staring at them both with lidded eyes, his head still firmly placed upon the fluffy pillow. Seungmin’s face lit up as he once again tried to get out of his bed before Hyunjin held out his arm to stop him from moving so suddenly. He offered a hand to Seungmin, which the other took without question as he was slowly helped up onto the cold, wooden floor which made his toes curl. Placing one arm around his waist, Hyunjin walked with Seungmin towards Jeongin, whose crooked smile grew once Seungmin fell onto his bed and hugged him with what little strength he had in his body. 

 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but feel that he was intruding on a very personal moment between the two boys and began to back away but was stopped when he heard the door to the room creak open as Chan entered to switch places with him. The two youngest boys flinched hard at the sound as, if they had been caught hugging where they had escaped from, a severe punishment would probably follow. Chan and Hyunjin grimaced at the reaction but felt they needed to let the two boys know that they were now safe and free to express how they felt around them. 

 

“Hey, how are you guys? I’m Chan, in case you didn’t remember my name.” Chan raised his hand and gave a little wave towards the boys before Jeongin slowly waved back with an enormous grin. He was so ecstatic to see Chan again, since the thing he wanted to do most in the world was thank the boy who had saved him, just like he had asked. Seungmin could see Jeongin’s eyes glisten with respect for the older boy and knew that he probably wished to speak with him alone. 

 

“Hyunjin, could you show me where the bathroom is? I may need some support to get there, if you don’t mind.” Hyunjin was on his feet in a heartbeat to help Seungmin down the hall towards his destination. They left the room, closing the door behind them to give the others some privacy. 

 

“Jeongin, are you feeling a little bit better?” Chan’s hand made its way towards Jeongin’s forehead, pushing his damp, dark bangs out of the way before he felt the heat still radiating off of it. Chan bit his lip as Changbin had already tried to heal Jeongin up to the best of his abilities, though his fever wouldn’t budge from his body, which worried Chan tremendously.

 

“Hyung, don’t worry about my temperature. This is just what happens to me when I use my abilities and this time, I used it in a very different way to how I usually do so I’m just having a more unfavourable reaction. I think it’ll take me a while longer to recover from this but I don’t regret using my abilities to save Seungmin hyung. To be honest though, I don’t really remember a lot of what I did. It kind of felt like I was in some sort of trance. You probably think I’m weird, having the powers that I do and I wish I was assigned some other class but I guess I can’t change that now.”

 

Jeongin’s head fell in shame before Chan settled himself on the creaky bed and grasped Jeongin’s hand. “Listen, I’m pretty new to this game. I’ve been here for less than two weeks and I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that this place has to offer. There are so many terrifying and strange things that I’ve encountered but you, Jeongin, are not one of them. You seem like such a sweet kid and just because you’re a Necromancer, please don’t think such demeaning thoughts about yourself, alright? You can’t help who you are or what you’ve gone through and from what I’ve seen, I don’t think you should try to change anything about yourself.” 

 

The atmosphere in the room lightened with Chan’s words, as Jeongin stared in awe of the person sitting in front of him. The acceptance he had only received from Seungmin was now been given to him by others, making his fractured heart sing with happiness as it was slowly starting to heal. Chan let out a bemused chuckle at the bright expression on Jeongin’s face while he gently patted the younger boy’s hand. Approaching footsteps caused Chan to turn, before his own eyes met with Hyunjin’s, asking if it was alright to re-enter the room with Seungmin. Chan nodded before standing up, letting go of Jeongin’s hand. 

 

Hyunjin led Seungmin back over to to his bed before tucking him back in. “Ah, Channie hyung, Seungmin agreed to stay with us, though he wanted me to know it’s because we’re such wonderful people and not because he wants us to protect him.” Seungmin harshly whacked Hyunjin’s arm in protest while the Alchemist simply laughed at the weak attempt of revenge for letting that information go. 

 

“Hyung, you’re staying with them?” Seungmin’s face crinkled in confusion, the fear in Jeongin’s eyes making his heart sink. His trembling hands were firmly gripping the covers beneath him as he looked to the others for answers. 

 

“Yeah, I think it’s the best solution. Why? Do you not think that’s a good idea?” Hyunjin and Chan looked between the two boys as the tension seemed to expand in the tiny space. 

 

“I-I guess. You’ll be safe with them, I just thought-” Jeongin’s mousy hair fell in front of his face as he bowed his head before continuing. “-I thought you said that we’d stick together from now on.” 

 

The three boys looked to each other, with slight alarm gracing their features before Seungmin burst into laughter, causing Jeongin’s glossy eyes to dart towards the older boy. “Wait, wait, wait. Jeongin, are you seriously trying to tell me you thought that I would stay with them while leaving you behind? When I told Hyunjin that I would stay with them, I was speaking for both of us.” Seungmin turned to the two older boys. “That’s ok, right? That Jeongin stays too?”

 

Hyunjin nodded frantically while Chan began to laugh along with Seungmin. “Of course, the offer was open to both of you. We assumed that you two would want to stay together and to be honest, we would rather be there to keep you guys safe. I think I’d constantly be thinking about the two of you and how you were doing if you were to leave. I don’t think I’d be able to cope with the worry.” 

 

The anxiety plaguing Jeongin’s heart seemed to disappear as he began to realise that he had misunderstood the situation. He was going to be welcomed into this group, just as Seungmin had been. The older boy had never even considered leaving him behind and after all they had gone through, he felt a little silly for believing that he would do something like that to him in the first place. 

 

As the rigidity of the room disappeared once the misconception had been cleared up, a soft knock came upon the door to the bedroom, which Chan went to answer. He beamed once he realised it was Woojin but wondered why the other boy was here when it wasn’t his turn to keep watch yet. His body immediately stiffened when he saw the stoic expression present on the other’s face. Chan wondered if it was about Siwan; perhaps he was already here to try and take the boys back. 

 

“Chan, we need to talk. All of us. I’m going to wake the others and meet you back here with them.” Before Chan could ask what was so urgent, Woojin had taken off to the other bedrooms to gather the other boys. He glanced down the hallway and noticed Minho standing a couple of feet away with a slight scowl on his face. He had obviously been with Woojin wherever they had gone and seemed to hold the same sort of tension in his body as the older boy had. 

 

In a matter of minutes, everyone was gathered in the compact room, with all of them cheerily greeting Seungmin and Jeongin, who they hadn’t seen since the fight last night. Messy bed heads and bodies dressed with wrinkled clothes fell upon the floor of the room as there were quite a few boys who were still half asleep after being woken up so suddenly. Felix’s head slumped onto Changbin’s shoulder, quiet protests leaving his mouth due to being dragged out of bed, with Jisung resting his head on Minho’s lap. 

 

“Hyung, why are we here? Is there something that couldn’t have waited until we got up later?” Though Changbin complained about being woken up so early, the sun had already risen a few hours ago and was now peaking over the tops of the tall buildings outside, the noise from the street already flowing in through the open window. 

 

“Siwan’s dead.” Breaths halted as sleepy but now alert eyes stared back at Woojin who had relayed the surprising news to them. Nobody seemed to know what to say at the revelation as it remained silent for over a minute with glances simply being exchanged between all of them. 

 

“What do you mean he’s dead? He was fine when we left. He didn’t have any serious injuries and Jeongin stopped before he could use his powers on him, so how the hell could he be dead?” Jisung had raised from Minho’s leg and was now placed on all fours as he questioned the older boy. 

 

“The news is on all of the screens situated around the city. It’s all over the newspapers.” Woojin unrolled one before tossing it over to Chan who was quickly joined by Hyunjin and Felix as they read the front page together. “It states that about an hour or so after we left, there were reports of a fire in the house and the guards went to investigate and put it out. It hadn’t spread too far and they were able to identify the corpses of everyone in the house before they were burned beyond recognition.”

 

“Corpses? Plural?” Changbin’s worried gaze flew to Woojin who nodded slowly. 

 

“All of his men were dead too. Nobody was left alive,” added Minho. He had gone to walk the town with Woojin in the early hours of the morning to bring some breakfast back to the other boys instead of forcing them to venture out after such a tiring night but once they had heard the gossip and seen the news, Minho had gone to investigate the remnants of the once beautiful mansion with Woojin, which had been all but reduced to a charred pile of ashes. 

 

“D-did I do it?” All eyes flew to Jeongin, whose eyes had begun to spill small tears upon hearing the news. “I d-don’t have complete control over my p-powers. They manifested when I saw Seungmin hyung getting hurt but d-do you think that I unintentionally did something to them?” Chan could see that Jeongin was beginning to worry that he had inadvertently become a murderer as he moved over to him and rubbed the back of his neck in comfort, before looking to Woojin for an explanation of exactly how Siwan and his men had been disposed of. 

 

“No Jeongin, you weren’t the cause of it. They weren’t killed with magic. Their-” Woojin stopped himself momentarily as he wasn’t sure if he wanted to divulge the gory details to the younger members of the group but quickly came to the conclusion that they had probably endured more than their fair share of gruesome violence. “Their throats were slit along with numerous stab wounds. From the looks of it, the guards are guessing it was the work of an Assassin but nothing to indicate as to who did it was left at the scene. They were exceedingly thorough in covering their tracks. It seems to me that the fire wasn’t set to erase evidence but rather to alert the guards that Siwan and his men had been taken care of so that they could spread the news. There’s also a mention in there about the underground area where you boys stayed in the article there but since there was nobody left down there, it was just a passing comment.” 

 

Minho rolled his shoulders, trying to look as surprised as possible. He knew that Woojin was right to a certain extent. The fire had been set to alert the guards into making the discovery, but the message had been meant for him, to let him know that the job was done. Though he hadn’t known the way that the other would go about it, he knew that Yukhei would certainly make his performance dramatic. Minho was more than a little thankful that now that Siwan was taken care of, he wouldn’t be able to touch Seungmin, Jeongin or any of the other kids who had already left the city. He had absolutely no qualms about what he asked Yukhei to do for him. The money was worth it if these kids could rest peacefully knowing that Siwan could no longer come after them. 

 

“This seems more than a little suspicious. A slaughter occurs there just after we left? Was there somebody watching us who took advantage of the situation and made their move?” Changbin rubbed his chin as Felix’s head fell upon his shoulder to rest once again. 

 

“That could be it. Something else was mentioned in the newspaper which was kind of interesting. It said he had a bounty of twenty five thousand gold coins so, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone did kill him for the money but it’s just as Changbin said, the timing is a little weird. If he had such a high bounty, the people who gave it to him obviously knew he was doing something wrong.” The Bard’s brow creased as he tried to think of possible reasons that things turned out the way that they did. Minho leaned back at Woojin’s words as he had actually forgotten such a detail. He had paid Yukhei to do the job but actually failed to remember that he would probably be picking up Siwan’s bounty too and couldn’t help but think that he had been played a little bit by the young Assassin. 

 

“I’m sorry but what does it matter?” Seungmin had finally spoken up after coming out of the shock that had hit him along with Woojin’s words. “He’s dead. That’s the end of the story. Who cares how or why because I sure as hell don’t.” 

 

Pity filled gazes moved towards Seungmin, as the boy’s nails dragged along along the rough fibres of his blankets. “Listen, I know you guys are probably against killing your enemies, seeing as you didn’t eliminate any of Siwan’s men last night and I am too. I stopped Jeongin from doing something he would regret even though, in my head, I really wanted him to go through with it but you all have to understand something: Siwan was a monster. What you guys have heard about is only the tip of the iceberg when it come to him. Why do you think he possessed the Behemoth class? It was because he was a monster in the real world too. I was in that house for four months and in that time, I gained so many scars from him and his brutality; both mentally and physically and I know Jeongin did too, so the fact that I know he can’t ever come after us or hurt us again is, well, it’s a relief.” 

 

This would usually be the time where the older members of the group would speak up about how you shouldn’t wish or be thankful that someone had been killed but in a situation like this, they felt that they didn’t have the right to be sanctimonious when Seungmin had just poured his heart out about being tortured, so they kept their mouths firmly shut. 

 

“I don’t think the guards are going to let anyone know the full story of what happened anyways. Siwan used to pay a lot of them off, as they pretty much knew that we were being held in the house but once they got the coins that they wanted, they became disinterested. So, whatever is mentioned in the paper is probably the extent of the information that we are going to get on the situation. Perhaps we should just leave it at that?” Jeongin’s tears from earlier had ceased but Chan’s hand continued to rub his tousled hair in comfort. 

 

Minho visibly relaxed as the other members in the group seemed to agree with the younger boy’s idea of not pursuing this line of thought any further. If they had inquired about it too much, they may eventually find some sort of link between himself and Yukhei. Though he felt that he had done the right thing, he didn’t want the others to find out about it.

 

“All right, all of you, back to bed. I just thought that I should tell you about this as soon as possible but you all still need rest so, off you go.” Woojin began to usher the younger members out of the room. Changbin gently nudged Felix, who had just fallen asleep again while resting on his shoulder to lead him back to his bedroom. Hyunjin placed his arms around Felix’s waist to follow him but not before he turned to wave at Seungmin, who gingerly smiled back. Minho grunted as Jisung jumped onto his back, placing his arms firmly around his neck and causing the older boy to chuckle at the Thief’s antics. He didn’t seem to care that both of them were still injured from yesterday as they had told Changbin to focus on healing the two youngest boys instead. 

 

Woojin began to follow and make his way out of the door but momentarily looked back to Chan who was still placed beside Jeongin. The youngest boy had listened to Woojin’s command and had laid back down to close his eyes, still holding onto Chan’s hand. Woojin wasn’t even sure if Chan knew he was doing it but he had begun to hum a soft tune to help lull the boy to sleep and it seemed to be working as Jeongin’s breathing became shallow and his body became lax. The Bard’s heart began to flitter as he observed the endearing scene in front of him while he watched Chan do what he did best; look after those around him while making them feel completely at ease. Woojin noticed Seungmin’s gaze upon the two boys as well with a loving smile before he too rolled over and placed his head upon his pillow. Woojin carefully pulled the door shut behind him before stretching and moving towards his room. He couldn’t believe that they were all still here and that none of them were injured too severely. 

 

Before he could think any further on the subject, a blaring noise made him cover his ears. It startled him but he relaxed slightly when he realized that he had heard this noise before. Chan’s head popped out of the room that Woojin had just left from to inquire as to what the deafening noise was. The rest of the group exited their rooms shortly afterwards. 

 

“What the hell is that? You all heard it too right?” Chan rubbed his ears to try and deter them from ringing anymore. 

 

“There’s going to be an announcement in a minute from those running Phantasm. Remember, I told you about this when we first met?” Chan did remember Changbin mentioning that a klaxon would ring out when those who controlled the game would wished to communicate with them. Static filled the air before a computerised voice rang out loud and clear for all the inhabitants of Aquiria and the rest of Phantasm to hear. 

 

_ Good day players of Phantasm. _

_ There are two announcements that shall be conveyed to you today. _

_ Firstly, a tournament will be held one week from today in the city of Morthan. _

_ Enter and see who the strongest players in Phantasm are. _

_ Players may enter this tournament together in pairs. _

_ The prizes will be announced on the first day of the tournament. _

_ We wish you the best of luck. _

 

The boys looked to each other with interest invading their features. Even if they didn’t enter, a tournament like that would be extremely engrossing and fascinating to watch. Without saying anything, they had pretty much decided that they would head to Morthan to investigate the tournament after they had returned to Haknal for a couple of days. 

 

“Wow, that sounds like it would be entertaining but they said there was another announcement, right?” Hyunjin rocked from side to side as he waited for the voice to continue. 

 

_ The second announcement is as follows: _

_ A group of eight has entered the Rautaja Fortress. _

_ We wish them a favourable outcome and hope they succeed. _

_ We will update you on their progress as they advance. _

_ We hope you all have a pleasant day and as always: _

_ We hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm. _


	14. The past can't hurt you anymore, not unless you let it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, anyone up for a mid-week update to celebrate Unveil? No? Well, you're getting it anyway. You'll still be getting your regular Wednesday update this week too. The pictures from Unveil looked incredible and I know I'm excited about finally listening to the album tomorrow! The last chapter to finish up the Aquiria arc. Enjoy!

“Sweetheart, calm down, we won’t arrive for another couple of hours. You’ll tire yourself out before we even get there.” 

 

The young boy bounced up and down in his seat, refusing to listen to his mother’s advice, as he became excited at the thoughts of his feet finally meeting the warm grains of sand, of his hair becoming tousled by the salty air, of his body being eveloped by the cool seawater. He had never been to the ocean before and after his endless pleading, his parents had finally caved and decided that a family trip to  Haeundae beach would be the perfect idea to bring them closer together. 

 

“We can get crushed ice when we get there, right? With red bean paste! Dad, you promised that we could!” 

 

The man looked into his rear view mirror at the enthusiastic seven year old, a proud smile spreading across his face. “Sure thing bud, we can get whatever you want to eat. Today is your day, you call the shots.” 

 

This only spurred the youth’s elation to become more vocal as he began to sing loudly along with the songs on the radio. A trot song that his grandmother used to play for him when she visited his house suddenly began to play and added to his feelings of euphoria. Though he was young, the boy knew that these were the moments that were meant to be treasured in life. Nothing in the whole wide world could bring him down from his high as he began to see the horizon in the distance that met with the crystalline sea. The boy squirmed as he wriggled his feet excitedly. They were almost there. 

 

“Honey, watch out!”

 

* * *

 

Jeongin sprang up from his bed, a cold sweat drenching his t-shirt, causing it to stick to him in an uncomfortable fashion. His laboured breathing felt like it was crushing his chest as he inhaled deeply to try and calm himself after his realistic nightmare. He attempted to bring his hand up to wipe the nape of his neck but the strong grip placed upon it wouldn’t allow him to move it anywhere. Jeongin looked down to find Chan sitting on a wooden chair; his head placed on the side of his bed as he slept peacefully, not being bothered by Jeongin’s sudden movements.

 

The young Necromancer looked to the window as a soft, fuschia light flowed in, indicating that dusk was beginning to descend upon the city. Seungmin was still asleep on the other side of the room, his covers matching the rhythm of the boy’s unsounding breaths. The silence felt smothering to Jeongin and all he wanted was to get out of the room. After gently sneaking his hand out of Chan’s, the boy began to tip toe across the room in the hopes of not waking his friends. He grabbed his shoes and slipped them on before exiting the confining place. It was strange to Jeongin that, even though he had left Siwan’s house, he felt just as trapped within the room he had just been in with Seungmin and Chan and wondered if he would ever feel completely at ease within himself. He wanted to talk to someone, anyone, just so he could crawl away from the memories and thoughts that were harassing him at that very moment.

 

He moved down towards the rooms he believed to be the ones that the other boys from his new group were staying in. His new group, his new family. Jeongin couldn’t help but smile slightly at the thought, before he turned the handle on the the first door he came across. Peeking inside, he saw the sleeping forms of Changbin and Felix in their respective beds, neither of which seemed to budge as Jeongin looked around the room before pulling the door firmly shut behind him. He wasn’t going to wake any of the other members simply because he had a nightmare, he wasn’t a little kid anymore. Upon trying the next door, he found Hyunjin, Minho and Jisung knocked out; Jisung’s snores flowing through the doorway in which Jeongin was standing. Luck obviously wasn’t on his side today as all of the others were still asleep, though he couldn’t blame them after the terrifying turn of events last night. He once again closed the door to the shared bedroom as he turned to leave but came into contact with a firm chest instead. 

 

“Are you checking up on the members already, Jeongin? Or do you need something else?” Jeongin quickly jumped away from Woojin, almost feeling as if he had been found doing something he shouldn’t have. Memories of the time his grandmother had caught him taking candy from her purse while she wasn’t looking surfaced. He began to chuckle at the smug expression that graced Woojin’s features as it was exceedingly similar to that of his grandmother’s when she had discovered what he had done. Jeongin quickly spoke up as Woojin was obviously waiting for an answer. 

 

“Uh, no hyung, I’m alright. I just-  I mean- I didn’t-”

  
  
“You know, you’re not very good at lying, Jeongin but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I know you don’t know me very well yet but Hyunjin told me that you’re going to keep travelling with our group. I’m thrilled but I want you to know that if you ever have anything you need or if you just want to talk, I’m here for you, just as all of the other members in the group are too. Don’t ever be nervous or afraid around us. We won’t let anything happen to you ever again, ok?” 

 

Numerous sentences tried to make their way out of Jeongin’s mouth but he had been left speechless by Woojin’s perception and kind heart. Hearing comforting words such as these had become a foreign concept to Jeongin recently. He lapped them up, thinking he wouldn’t ever get tired of hearing reassurances from the older boy. 

 

“I may have had a little nightmare but everyone else was sleeping and I didn’t want to wake them. They all looked so exhausted and they deserve to rest after everything they went through last night. It can just be a little suffocating in silence, so I needed to leave the room. That’s all.” 

 

Woojin’s arms fell on the young boy’s shoulders as Jeongin sighed into the hug. “Ah, I see. Well, I’m not asleep so, if you want to talk with me about anything, I’m all ears. Chan is still in your room with Seungmin, yeah? You can come to mine since there’s nobody else in there. We can discuss whatever you’d like.” 

 

Jeongin returned the squeeze he felt on his hand as he was guided to Woojin’s room where the two boys discussed where they grew up, what foods they enjoyed eating, who their favourite singers were; with both boys talking about their shared love for American music. The younger boy relished in the lengthy conversation with the Bard, though the topic of Jeongin’s nightmare didn’t come up. No need to bring up a story that would immediately dampen the mood, he thought. 

 

The once golden light had now been extinguished, as the stars made their appearance across the darkened sky. Jeongin didn’t even realise how long they had been talking until he absentmindedly glanced at the clock on the wall. He quickly realised that he felt completely at ease when in Woojin’s presence, the older boy giving off an air of reliability. Woojin had told him that if he ever needed something, then he should simply ask, though he wasn’t quite sure if this is what he had meant but the younger boy decided to go for it since he wasn’t sure if they would ever return to a place like this again.

 

“Woojin hyung, you said that we would be leaving the city at some point tomorrow, right?” Woojin nodded his head in response to show Jeongin he had remembered correctly. After the announcements had been made, the group had discussed going back to Haknal as soon as possible before heading onto Morthan for the tournament. If they left Aquiria tomorrow, they would have just enough time to make it to the capital city. 

 

“Well, before we leave, would it be alright if we all went somewhere beforehand? Just for a little while?”

 

* * *

 

The stiffness in Chan’s neck from his uncomfortable sleeping situation caused him to grimace and groan as he tried to sit himself up. He had wanted to stay by Jeongin’s side since Hyunjin told him that he had previously been crying in his sleep from possible nightmares. He hadn’t intended to fall asleep, yet, here he was. Cracking bones popped in his back as he let out a content sigh while stretching all of his limbs. Though he was still sore from the fight, which was amplified by his awkward sleeping position, he felt well rested and energised for the following day but from the looks of it, there was still a few hours to go before the new day came about. Looking over to Seungmin, a small grin appeared on the Knight’s face as, despite everything that the boy had gone through, he was still able to sleep peacefully. 

 

He moved to grab Jeongin’s hand once again to comfort the sleeping boy but upon finding the bed empty, a sense of unbelievable terror clouded the rest of his senses. Chan jumped up from his seated position and began to quickly scan the area. He wasn’t in the same bed as Seungmin and he wasn’t anywhere else in the room either. How could he have missed Jeongin going missing from his bed? How could he have been so careless? He didn’t want to wake Seungmin and frighten the boy but thought that if Jeongin had gone somewhere by himself, he may have told his friend. 

 

“Hey, Seungmin, wake up. Please, wake up.” Chan shook the boy gently but the urgency in his voice deviated from his actions. What if something had happened to the young boy when they had just saved him from such a terrible situation? 

 

Seungmin began to stir as he turned to face his hyung, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Chan hyung? What’s the matter?” Seungmin became increasingly more awake once he saw the fearfulness in Chan’s eyes. 

 

“Um, did Jeongin tell you that he was going anywhere?” Seungmin’s bewildered expression let Chan know that he had no idea about Jeongin’s whereabouts, which only added to his anxiety about the safety of the younger boy. 

 

“Going somewhere? Why? Where-” Seungmin leapt up from his bed as he looked to where he had last seen Jeongin, who was no longer there. Detangling himself from the soft blankets, he grabbed Chan’s arm with desperation in his eyes. “Where the hell is he?!”

 

Chan couldn’t muster a response before Seungmin was out the bedroom door. The older boy quickly followed him as they ran to the top of the stairs but both were halted in their steps when they heard jovial laughter emanating from one of the bedrooms they had rented out. Chan moved to the door of the room he had been sharing with Woojin and pushed it open. 

 

A loud thwack echoed throughout the room as Jeongin began to rub his forehead from the flick he had just received from the older boy, both of them laughing while clutching their stomachs. “Innie, why are you so bad a rock-paper-scissors? That’s your fifth loss in a row!” Woojin chuckled at the poor state of the younger boy’s red forehead as he wiped the tears from his eyes. 

 

Seungmin felt like he would collapse, the fear keeping him in an upright position suddenly flying from his body at the sight of the younger boy who was safe and sound. Two pairs of eyes fell upon the boys as they stood in the doorway. 

 

“Channie, you’re up. Good morning, Seungmin. Well, it’s not quite morning yet but- is everything alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

 

Seungmin moved towards Jeongin with hasty steps, the younger boy flinching ever so slightly when his arms were grabbed to pull him into a standing position. “Don’t  _ ever  _ do that again! If you’re going somewhere, you tell us! Do you realise how scared we were when we saw that you weren’t in your bed?!” 

 

Jeongin understood quite quickly why Seungmin had begun shouting at him and tried to free himself from the grasp that he was sure would leave bruises on his arms but to no avail. “Hyung, you’re hurting me.”

 

A warm hand was placed upon Seungmin’s shoulder, with Chan telling him to calm himself down. Seungmin immediately softened his hold on the younger boy, his face dropping in apology for reacting so harshly. Jeongin was suddenly pulled forward into Seungmin’s arms as he heard the older boy’s fluttering breath sweep past his ear. “I thought something had happened to you, Jeongin.” 

  
  
Jeongin patted Seungmin’s back as a way of acknowledging that he had done wrong by not informing them that he was leaving. “I’m alright, hyung. I was just spending time with Woojinnie hyung. We were playing some games. You guys should join us.” 

 

Chan looked to Woojin, who was marvelling at the sweet bond between the two youngest boys before meeting eyes with the Knight. He motioned for the other to sit beside him, which Chan complied with before Woojin’s head fell to his shoulder as he sighed blissfully. “Channie, Jeongin asked me if we could go to the beach later on when everybody wakes up, before we leave the city.”

  
  
“Oh, how come?” 

 

“He didn’t say, just that he’s never been before so he would like to visit one, even if it isn’t technically real.” Chan looked to Jeongin who was being sternly told off by the slightly older boy but the giggles emanating from him told Chan that he wasn’t taking Seungmin’s threats too seriously.

 

“After everything these kids have been through, I’m sure we can grant them that small request.” 

 

* * *

 

Luckily for Jeongin, everybody seemed to jump at the chance to go to the ocean for some rest and relaxation. Nobody had expected how the trip to the coastal town would turn out in the beginning. Never in their wildest dreams would they think they would have to fight someone with a Behemoth class or that they would take two more members under their wing to protect. 

 

The seagulls piercing caws echoed throughout the air as the boys drew closer to their destination. The sight and sound of the frothy waves lapping upon the shore caused Jisung to grab onto Minho’s arm and drag him onto the grainy sand. The beach wasn’t too crowded, even though it seemed like the perfect day to visit such a location. The sun belted down on the beach goers but the satisfying breeze that flew in from the sea aided in the ability to bear the heat. The group had opted to visit the area in the early morning so that they could leave around midday and make their way back to Haknal. 

 

The intensity of the air that Jeongin breathed in scratched his throat slightly and caused it to burn, though he was glad he had finally made it to the place he had wanted to visit so many years ago. He took a step forward into the searing sand as he felt two hands fall between his shoulder blades. Woojin and Chan walked on either side of him, endearing smiles on their faces. 

 

“Well, Innie, is it everything that you thought it would be? I think the novelty of the beach has kind of worn off for me since I’ve been here so many times before.” Chan nodded in agreement with Woojin’s statement as he mentioned to the younger boy that since he lived in Australia before he moved to Korea, he had practically spent his whole childhood at the beach. 

 

“It’s nice.”

 

“Really? That’s all you have to say about it? That it’s ‘nice’? C’mon Innie, I thought you’d have more of a reaction than that!” Chan playfully hit the younger boy on the back which elicited a small grunt, though Jeongin said nothing more of his impression of the golden sands or shining sea. 

 

Chan couldn’t quite seem to put his finger on it but the reaction from the young Necromancer made his eyebrows twitch in skepticism. He felt someone harshly brush off of his shoulder, only to see Hyunjin forcefully pulling Seungmin closer to the shore to gaze out onto the horizon, with the younger boy looking slightly bemused as to why Hyunjin was acting this way; it was only the ocean after all. 

 

“Jeongin, what’s the real reason you wanted to come here today?” Jeongin raised his head to look into Chan’s eyes as he asked him the question. 

 

“I already told Woojin hyung, I haven’t ever been to the beach before.” Woojin bent his head to gaze at Chan and his hesitant expression before catching on to the point he was trying to get at. 

 

“No, Jeongin, I asked you what the  _ real  _ reason was. Why did you ask so suddenly? We could have gone to the beach another time.” 

 

Jeongin set his eyes firmly on the ground before looking up at the older boy with hooded eyes. “Is everybody in your group this perceptive because it seems like it would be awfully hard to keep any secrets since you all seem to know if I’m hiding something.” Jeongin let out a humourless chuckle upon seeing the older boy’s expressions at the mention of Jeongin not being completely honest with them. He settled himself on the balmy sand, with Chan and Woojin following suit. 

 

“I guess I should probably tell you since it’s pretty much the reason I possess the class that I do. I haven’t told anybody about this yet, not even Seungmin hyung. I wasn’t lying when I said that I’ve never been to the beach before. I don’t know why, we just never got around to it. When I was little, I used to pester my parents to bring me but we just didn’t have the chance. I was seven when they eventually caved and decided to make a day trip to Haeundae beach. Just me, my mom and my dad; the three of us were impossibly close. I know that’s how most families are supposed to be but I realise not everyone has the luxury of a loving family.” Jeongin’s words hit Woojin hard as he thought back to his own parents. They had loved him unconditionally too but his time with them was cut much too short. On the other hand, he thought about Jisung, who never had any sort of parental love in his life. He knew the other would give absolutely anything to have a stable family life and Woojin was going to try to give it to him once they returned to the real world. 

 

“I loved my parents and they loved me. We were so happy together and I thought we would be for a long time but unfortunately, I was wrong. It was a drunk driver. We were about five minutes away from arriving at the beach and I can still remember gazing at the sea from the car. I remember how excited I got at the thought of finally being there. I remember feeling the bracing sea air on my cheeks as I rolled down the window. I remember hearing my mother scream at my father to watch out before everything went black.” 

 

Chan’s heart was sinking lower in his chest than it had ever gone before. Jeongin was revealing his story with such a calm tone that it made the two older boys wince at the acceptance in his voice. 

 

“I woke up in intensive care three weeks later. They had placed me in an induced coma so my body could cope with the serious injuries that I had endured. Ruptured spleen, broken leg, five cracked ribs, dislocated shoulder, punctured lung, amongst others. My grandmother told me all about how I was such a brave boy and that it was a miracle that I made it out alive. I remember asking her why she thought it was a miracle and when she broke down in tears, I pretty much figured out why she couldn’t reply. I missed their funeral and everything because of how badly injured I had been. The other driver died on impact and the police told my grandmother that the man had been five times over the legal limit. My parents died all because I wanted to go to the stupid beach.” Jeongin’s voice was barely above a whisper when he uttered the last sentence as Chan and Woojin looked on with sympathy in their eyes. They certainly hadn’t expected a story like that to come from the young boy but what struck them even more was the fact that he seemed to have come to a complete acceptance of what happened or rather, that what happened had been his fault. 

 

Woojin hurridley buried Jeongin’s face in his shoulder, rubbing the boy’s hair to try and convey his feelings on the matter. He was sure that Jeongin wouldn’t want the others to see him and become worried as to why Woojin was hugging him but he just couldn’t seem to let the young Necromancer go. When Jisung turned to look towards the three of them with a concerned pout, Chan simply smiled and waved him off, just as Minho pushed him down onto the sand before taking off cackling, with a murderous Jisung following closely behind him. 

 

“Innie, you can’t possibly think that what happened to your parents was your fault. It was merely a coincidence that you happened to be in that particular place at that particular time and nothing in the world could have stopped it.” Woojin bent down to whisper in Jeongin’s ear as his head was still firmly placed on his chest. 

 

“Ten years of people telling me that it wasn’t my fault doesn’t change the fact that it was. I kinda wonder if getting stuck here with the class that I have is some sort of punishment. Being a Necromancer, I’m constantly reminded of them but not in a good way. It’s stifling being in this state and I can’t do anything about it.” 

 

“And what would your parents think about you blaming yourself for their deaths?” Woojin and Jeongin’s eyes flew to Chan, who was staring out at the uneven sea. Woojin glanced between the two with a small scowl forming on his face as his voice dropped and was coated with a warning tone. 

 

“Chan, this isn’t the time-”

 

“Well, Jeongin? Do you think that they would be happy that you were putting yourself down? That you’re constantly punishing yourself for something that you had absolutely no control over? That no matter how many times you blame yourself, you’re not going to be able to change what happened, no matter how much you want to? How would they feel-?” 

  
  
“Chan!” Jeongin flinched harshly as Woojin raised his voice at the other boy. Chan hadn’t moved from his position and Jeongin could almost feel the irritation emanating from the boy still holding onto him. 

 

“You said that your parents loved you and I know that they would be heartbroken if they knew that you were living your life with such a weight upon your shoulders. Granted, I’ve never been in your position and I hope that I never am because the way you feel about the situation would drain me. You can’t keep going like this, Innie. If you don’t want to live life to the fullest for yourself, then do it for them. Being in here isn’t a punishment, think of it as an opportunity. Become stronger, try to be more confident because what I’ve seen of you and your abilities, you’re an awfully courageous and independent person. I have faith that you can help others and yourself at the same time. We’ll look after you and in turn, you can look after us. We’re a team, so don’t try to carry such a burden alone. That’s what we’re all here for, myself and Woojin included.” Chan finished his lecture as he glanced to Woojin, who seemed to have calmed himself after hearing the point that Chan was trying to make for Jeongin. 

 

Dry eyes, void of tears were no longer an option for Jeongin as Chan’s words found their way to his heart. Small whimpers left the young Necromancer as the wall he had built up for so many years gradually started to come crashing down. Woojin hugged him closer and thought that Chan’s words had been far too harsh for the younger to listen to but realised that this is what it took to make Jeongin see sense and Chan had picked up on that. Being soft and kind to Jeongin wasn’t going to get through to him, he needed to hear the unrelenting truth so that he could start to come to some sort of peace about his situation. 

 

Chan shuffled across the sand to fall beside Jeongin, placing his head upon his shoulder and arms around his waist while he was still lying into Woojin’s hug. The three huddled together in silence for a short while before Chan finally spoke up again; his voice still holding the same gentle tone as it had earlier. “Innie, we are here for you now. Rely on us and all of your other hyungs in the group, alright?” 

 

Jeongin nodded his head as much as he could as he was being enveloped by the two older boys. Fingers suddenly met with his sides as he began to try and wriggle free while Chan tickled him. The tears falling down his cheeks were now the result of laughter when he couldn’t budge since Woojin seemed to be on Chan’s side and held the younger boy firmly in place so that Chan could continue his playful torture. 

 

“Innie, though we are your hyungs and you can always rely on us, just know that we are also probably the most childish people you will ever meet. You will never escape us now!” Jeongin wondered how long it would take to get all of the sand out of his hair now that the three of them were rolling around trying to fight each other off as Jeongin began to retaliate, with Woojin now turning on Chan and digging his fingers into the Knight’s sides, eliciting high pitched screams. Though Jeongin couldn’t completely let go of the blame he had been harbouring for so long, Chan’s words had cracked the foundation of the criticism he had built around himself. He knew his hyung was right, his parents wouldn’t want him to live like this. They would want him to live to his full potential and that’s exactly what Jeongin was going to try and do from now on. 

 

* * *

 

Water met with the tips of Seungmin’s feet as he had settled himself on the sand. Though he had been in Aquiria for four months, he thought that the air felt and smelled completely different to him now. The sounds of the waves and noise from the city muddled together as they met his ears. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply, the salt air cleansing his head of any negative thoughts. Firm hands were placed upon his shoulders, causing Seungmin to raise his head to stare at Hyunjin. 

 

“Why are you over here all by yourself? Come and join the rest of us.” Hyunjin’s smile was bright; brighter than the sun that his head was now eclipsing. He tilted his head when he didn’t get an answer from the younger boy who was staring at him without replying. 

 

“You don’t have to hang out with me just because you feel guilty about me getting beaten up, Hyunjin. I told you that it wasn’t your fault.” 

 

Hyunjin’s brows knitted together with the question that seemed to befuddle the older boy. “Feel guilty? Wait, what are you talking about? I want you to come and hang out with me and the others.” 

 

“Look, I know I’m not the most interesting person or the friendliest, so you don’t have to pretend that you want to be around me. Jeongin probably only became friends with me because none of the others would talk to him. Don’t worry, I’m used to being by myself, so go and join the others again. I don’t mind staying here.” 

 

The sudden shift in Seungmin’s disposition worried Hyunjin as he bent down to meet Seungmin’s eyes, grasping his wrist. “Minnie, what the hell are you talking about? Why would you put yourself down like that? Jeongin is crazy about you, anyone can see that. He’s lucky to have a friend like you and I would like to have the opportunity to get to know you better too. I wouldn’t interact with someone if I didn’t want to. I don’t want to hang out with you? Why would you think that?” 

 

Before Seungmin could answer, Felix came barrelling towards the two, falling to Hyunjin’s side while screaming at his friend. “Jinnie! Protect me! He’s going to kill me!”    
  


Seungmin quickly stood to attention at the mention of violence, as he was so used to doing but realised from Felix’s expression that he wasn’t being serious about the threat to his life. Changbin slowly walked towards the three boys as he ruffled his hair, causing copious amounts of sand to fall out of it. “Lee Felix, nothing can protect you now. Dumping a bucket of sand over my head? What would make you think that was a smart idea? Surely, you must have known there would be consequences.”  

 

Felix looked to Hyunjin for help but the older boy simply raised his hands to indicate that this fight had nothing to do with him. Upon seeing this and Changbin drawing closer, he flung himself into Seungmin’s arms while begging for protection. Hyunjin saw the awkwardness of Seungmin’s body jump up to invade his eyes, as he clearly had no idea how to react to the giggling boy now placed in his lap. The Illusionist looked to Changbin, who was suddenly stopped in his tracks when multiple fairies popped up in front of him and danced around his head. Glistening wings beated together with the sound of silvery bells falling upon the boy’s ears. Changbin started to panic a little since he had no idea what was happening to him. Why was he seeing mystical entities while standing in the middle of a beach? 

 

Hyunjin’s gaze eventually departed from the numerous fairies and glanced back to Seungmin, who was completely focused on creating the illusions to distract Changbin. The Medic seemed to become calm after a short amount of time of admiring the beings in front of him. Felix slowly emerged from hiding his face in Seungmin’s lap and glanced at the small creatures twirling in front of the Medic’s eyes. He giggled when he realised that this was Seungmin’s way of helping him and gave a slight squeeze to the other boy’s leg as a form of thanks for saving him from Changbin’s wrath.  

 

* * *

 

After Jisung had run the length of the beach while trying to catch Minho for pushing him earlier on, he stopped to try and catch his breath. He was so used to being the fastest in their group but since Minho had joined, his position was up for debate. Jisung looked up to try and find the older boy when a worrying thought suddenly hit him. Minho  _ hadn’t  _ joined their group. When he had tried to leave after their first day of arriving in Aquiria, Jisung had stopped him and asked him to join them to watch some of the shows but so much had happened in between, that the topic of Minho joining their group hadn’t actually resurfaced. Jisung had just taken it as a given that since they had been through so much together, that the older boy would automatically come along with them but maybe Minho didn’t want that, no matter how much Jisung did. 

 

Minho had finally stopped running away once he saw that Jisung was no longer giving chase and jogged back to the Thief. Upon seeing Jisung’s worried expression, Minho bent down to lift Jisung’s chin and ask him why he looked so upset. 

 

“Hyung, what are you going to do now?” Minho tilted his head to inquire as to what exactly Jisung had meant. “Now that we’re going to leave Aquiria, where are you going to go?” 

 

Minho finally understood Jisung’s question and raised from his crouched position. He had given no indication to the others that he wished to stay in the group and Jisung had assumed that since their mission was now complete, he would leave all of them to travel by himself again. Yes, he had wanted to stay with the group but it was no longer for the reason he had originally joined them. The acceptance and kindness that he had gained in the last week was more than he had ever received in his entire life and he had come to the conclusion that he liked the feeling. Though the main reason that he never got attached to people was because he couldn’t trust them as they always found a way to let him down, he got the feeling that these boys wouldn’t do that to him and really wanted to give them a chance to prove him right. 

 

“Umm, I haven’t really thought about it, Jisung. Why?” Minho lied as he waited to see what the other boy would have to say about it. 

 

“I was just wondering,” Jisung mumbled with a shrug of his shoulders as Minho began to grin at his obvious evasion on the subject. “Wait, no. I was wondering if-if you would want to come along with us. Before you say anything, I know you like to travel on your own and that you said that you were kind of a loner but we can give you the space that you need whenever you need it. You fit in so well with us and you would be such a welcome addition to our group. Granted, we haven’t actually discussed you joining because we thought you might not want to but I really want you to come along, uh, we-we really want you to come along with us.” 

 

Minho had wanted to stop Jisung the moment he had begun to speak, to let him know that he wanted nothing more than to come along with their group but decided to let him continue. After hearing Jisung say that  _ he  _ wanted him to join them, his heart clenched at the thought that he ever wanted to use the younger boy for his own personal gain. Jisung was too much of a kind soul to be used by anyone and Minho made a promise to himself that he wasn’t ever going to hurt the young Thief. If Gyujin really was going to come after him for whatever reason, then Minho was going to do everything in his power to keep Jisung safe from his brother. He realised that it would be easier to do this if he knew the reason as to why Gyujin was after him but couldn’t ask Jisung why without giving himself away. From what he had told him about his life, Jisung had already endured far too much for his pain to be added to by Minho. 

 

“Jisung, I’d love to come along with you guys.” 

 

“But…” Jisung sighed heavily, his eyes falling to the grains of sand beneath his feet as Minho laughed with incredulity. 

 

“There is no but, Jisung. That was the full statement, I’d love to join your group.” Jisung’s head shot up as his eyes widened in disbelief. 

 

“Y-you’ll really come with us? You don’t want to go back to travelling on your own? You won’t leave me?” 

 

The older boy watched with widened eyes as Jisung’s hands jumped up to cover his mouth after the slip of the last sentence. Minho couldn’t help but move towards the Thief after his adorable reaction caused him to start babbling incoherently, trying to explain what he had meant. Minho grabbed his frantically waving hands while trying to calm him. “No, Jisungie, I’m not going to leave you, I promise.” 

 

Jisung’s face flared red, much to Minho’s amusement. He reached out his hand to move a loose strand of mousy hair from Jisung’s face, his fingers lightly brushing off of the other’s forehead as he did so. Minho noticed that Jisung’s breathing had suddenly halted before realising what he had just done and quickly moved back from the other boy. “Uh, so, yeah. I guess that I’m joining you guys then. D-do you want to go and tell the others? We should probably let them know, right?”

  
  
Jisung hadn’t really ever seen Minho flustered before but thought that it was a very endearing look on the elder boy. Then again, he thought everything about him was endearing. The way his eyes crinkled shut when he laughed like he couldn’t breath, the way he managed to fit in with the rest of his group like he was a missing piece they had all been searching for, the way he managed to make him feel safe even in the most dangerous of circumstances; Jisung found all of it captivating. 

 

“Yeah, hyung. Let’s go and tell the others. C’mon.” Jisung grabbed Minho’s hand to drag him over to the others, where Seungmin was guarding Felix with his body as Hyunjin was holding Changbin back from attacking the freckled boy. Jisung and Minho began to wonder what exactly they had missed. 

 

“Hey, everyone! Come over here! Minho hyung has something that he wants to tell you guys!”


	15. Home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm just putting a small note here in case people didn't see that I updated last Sunday. So don't skip that chapter by mistake! Also, amazing comeback, right? Our boys never fail to impress. Starting off a new arc in the story. Here we go!

The group had almost arrived back to Haknal after travelling for a day and a half. Having left the town previously with four members, the fact that they had made it back with more than double the amount of people was amusing to them. Luckily, they hadn’t sold their camping equipment during their stay in Aquiria as they had needed it once again for their journey back, although, they barely had enough room to house all nine boys this time. The tent that Jisung and Felix had shared previously was made to fit two people, so when Changbin was forced to stay there as well, their sleeping positions were slightly uncomfortable. Though, Jisung thought it wasn’t the cramped space that caused this but rather the fact that he was required to sleep between the two awkward messes who wouldn’t just fess up to how they felt already.

 

Hyunjin had grabbed onto Seungmin’s arm and stated that he didn’t have a choice in the matter as to where he was staying. Ever since Seungmin had spoken to Hyunjin on the beach and told him that he was used to being by himself and that there was no need to hang out with him, the older boy didn’t want to let him out of his sight. He didn’t know why Seungmin had put himself down like that but he wasn’t going to let him think that he was alone after everything that he had gone through with Jeongin. Minho had no choice but to room with the two younger boys as there wasn’t any room in the tent he had slept in previously.

 

Woojin and Chan had all but dragged Jeongin to stay with them in their tent as their brotherly instincts went into overdrive ever since they had heard about Jeongin’s past. The youngest boy didn’t seem to mind that his hyungs were suddenly so protective over him, in fact, he rather liked it. Ever since his parents had passed, he had lived with his grandmother and as much as he loved her, she could only do so much for him in her old age. At times, it would be him looking after her rather than the other way around, which didn’t bother Jeongin but it was nice to be taken care of like this.

 

Once they had risen from their slumber, they all began to pack up the tents but Woojin stopped them, telling all of them that he and Chan would take care of it. The younger boys didn’t need to be told twice, running towards the path they had travelled on up to here. The eldest members began dismantling the canvases before Chan looked to the other for answers.

 

“So, why exactly are we doing all of the work here? How come you sent all of them off? We could have been done a lot faster if you had told them to stay.” Chan hadn’t ceased working on taking down his tent and stuffing the materials into his backpack.

 

“I wanted to speak with you alone and I didn’t know if I’d get another chance once we got back to Haknal.” Chan glanced over to the Bard, a stern expression crossing over his face and Chan thought that he wouldn’t like what was about to come. “It’s about what you said to Jeongin or rather, the way you said it to him. It was pretty harsh, Chan.”

 

Messy curls fell in front of the boy’s face as he bent down to pick up the cooking utensils that they had used to cook their meal last night. “Yeah, I know it was.”  
  
“Then why would you speak to him like that? He’s still a kid. I mean, I know we call all of the others kids too but Innie is only seventeen, so don’t you think that you could have watered down the brutality a little bit?” Woojin’s hands had halted their work as he looked at the Knight with disappointment.

 

“Look, it worked, didn’t it? Sometimes kids need to hear the bitter truth, no matter how much they may not want to. Doing what I do, I’ve seen children that have been in Jeongin’s situation. Sometimes, their parents have passed and they have no living relatives, so they were sent to the orphanage. Other times, their parents are simply no longer able to care for them for whatever reason. Blame is an exceptionally powerful thing and it’s amazing the amount of guilt that some of these kids hold on to, even though they couldn’t have possibly changed what happened. There are those that come to me asking if they could have done something different to stop such events occuring and they torture themselves with their thoughts. Being trapped inside of your own head sounds like a nightmare. There’s no end to it, it can eat away at you and I think that’s what it was doing to Jeongin. Softness doesn’t always fight off the demons inside of these kids, sometimes you have to talk to them like they’re adults because their situation requires that kind of approach.”

 

Chan had completed tidying up the sleeping arrangements and folding them all inside of the backpack, which he slung over his shoulders as he looked to Woojin. “So, I’m sorry if I upset you with how I handled the situation but I wouldn’t change the way I went about it if I had to do it again.” Chan seemed agitated at the memories he had plucked from his head, thinking back to all of the tormented children that he had met during his work. As he began to walk away from Woojin, the older boy quickly rushed to stand beside him.

 

“I get it, Channie, ok? I was upset but I’m not anymore. I understand why you handled it the way that you did, so don’t be angry, alright?” Woojin placed his arms around the distressed boy in front of him, squashing any attempts the other made to free himself from the warm embrace. “You really do know how to take care of all of our boys, don’t you? You have a real leadership quality about you and I admire that very much.” Woojin could feel Chan deflate in his arms and took this to be a sign that he was no longer ruffled by his past thoughts, which made Woojin laugh a little, his breath tickling Chan’s ear. “So, are we ok?”

  
  
“Yeah Woojinnie, we’re ok.”

 

* * *

 

“Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty! Ready or not, here I come!” Jisung called out to the others to indicate that their time to hide was now up. When asked how they wanted to pass the time while they waited for Chan and Woojin to finish packing up the equipment, Jeongin quietly mumbled that the area would be a prefect place to play hide and seek as there were so many trees and shrubbery to hide behind. He was worried the others might make fun of him for such a immature request but thought back to what Woojin and Chan had told him on the beach about all of them being childish, which seemed to be the case as Jisung, Felix, Seungmin and Hyunjin agreed to play the game with the young Necromancer. Minho and Changbin decidedly passed and sat to the side to observe how the game would turn out, while they talked about all the places they had travelled to within Phantasm.

 

It wasn’t too long before Jisung found Felix hanging out of a tree branch that he had failed to climb up in time, with the Thief noticing Hyunjin placed behind a bush that was much too small to hide his entire body. Jeongin was much harder to find as he had completely blended in with a butterfly bush before Jisung heard his giggles and dragged him out. Over ten minutes later, there was still no sign of Seungmin, which caused the younger boys to panic slightly. They had set out a specific perimeter that they could not enter outside of so, when they had searched the entirety of the area and not found the boy, Jeongin began to scold himself for recommending such a game to begin with. All returned to where Minho and Changbin were sitting before letting them know that they couldn’t find the young boy even after calling out his name to tell him that they had given up and he had won. Minho and Changbin began to stand but before the hysteria could really set in, Hyunjin fell into convulsions of laughter, causing everyone to ask him what could possibly be so funny in a situation like this.

 

“Ah, am I really the only one who can see him? Guys, did you forget exactly what Seungmin’s class is? He’s an Illusionist. Minho hyung, what did you say that Illusionists can do?”

 

All eyes flew to Minho, who sighed before chuckling. “I said that Illusionists can become invisible when they want to and it’s very hard to see through their abilities.”  

 

“Oh, come on! That’s not freaking fair! Hyunjin, where is he?” Jisung sulked as he knew he never had a chance of winning the game if he couldn’t even see Seungmin in the first place.

 

“He’s standing right beside Changbin hyung.” Changbin looked to his left before he quickly moved his hand through the air, only to come into contact with something that he couldn’t see, a small grunt of pain following. Light began to bend in the space beside Changbin before Seungmin quickly reappeared, frowning at Changbin for hitting him as the Medic quickly apologised for his unintentional actions. Seungmin quickly shook his hands to show that he was only kidding and in turn, asked Jisung for forgiveness for playing dirty in their little game of hide and seek. Once the relief had settled in, they saw Chan and Woojin move towards them as an indication that they were ready to go.

 

As they walked, Seungmin grabbed onto Hyunjin’s arm and dragged him back. “How exactly is it that you can see me? I’ve never come across someone like you before. Everyone else completely ignores me but it was the same back at the festival. You were the only one who could see through my abilities.”

  
  
Hyunjin smiled as Seungmin was still linking arms with him while they progressed forward. “I dunno, really. When I mentioned it to Minho hyung earlier, he said that I may just have a keen eye. That’s the only reason he gave me.” Seungmin nodded his head with a pensive look on his face. “Or maybe it’s because of how badly I wanted to see you,” Hyunjin giggled as Seungmin tried to figure out exactly what he was trying to insinuate but quickly shook his head as Hyunjin pulled him forward to catch up with the rest of the group.

 

* * *

 

Walking through the great doors of Haknal felt like taking in a breath of fresh air for most of the boys, as the familiarity of the town made them feel safe once again. Chan had mentioned to the group that, once they had dropped their belongings off at Joomi’s inn, he and Woojin would take Seungmin and Jeongin shopping to buy some protective gear and weapons since their clothing was pretty much useless in the way of defence. The younger boys had vehemently protested, saying that they were fine with what they had but Chan and Woojin weren’t having it. No matter how much they argued, Seungmin and Jeongin could see that they weren’t going to win this fight, so they quickly conceded defeat and thanked their hyungs for their kind gesture.

 

Jisung barrelled through the front door of the inn, startling Joomi in the process, who was sitting at the front desk. Once their eyes met, a wide, loving smile stretched across Joomi’s lips as she got up to envelop Jisung in a bear hug. “My boys are back. How have you four been? Oh?” Upon raising her head to ask the others the question, Joomi noticed that the size of their group had increased exponentially which caused her gaze to fly back to Jisung.

 

“Joomi-ssi, we sort of gathered a few strays along the way. Guys, come over here. This is Joomi-ssi, she’s the owner of this inn.” Everybody in the group, including those who had already met Joomi, bowed in greeting, causing the older woman to laugh at how in sync they were before bowing back.

 

“My, look at all of you. Now, I need names. If you’re going to be travelling with my boys, then you’ll be coming back to me quite often and I can’t stand not calling people their names. We’ll start from left to right. What’s your name sweetheart?”

 

Jeongin blushed at the pet name, which caused all of the other boys to giggle slightly but upon seeing Joomi’s glare, they all shut their mouths to allow the boy to begin his greeting. “My name’s Yang Jeongin, Joomi-ssi. I’m the maknae of the group. It’s very nice to meet you.” The others glanced in slight disbelief at how articulate Jeongin had become after being embarrassed just moments ago. Based on how he had spent the last month, they thought it may have been difficult for him to be confident around others but it seemed their fears were unfounded as he smiled brightly.

  
  
“It’s very nice to meet you too, Jeonginnie. Your braces are absolutely adorable, just like you.” A guttural noise sprung from Jeongin, letting the other boys fall into laughter once again. “Ok, the boy with the constellations on his cheeks, you’re up.”

 

Everyone looked to Felix, who was touching his face after the comment. There were times when the boy felt self conscious about his freckles but hearing people compliment him like this caused all of his anxiety about them to dissipate. “Uh, I’m Lee Felix and I originally come from Australia. It’s a pleasure.”  

 

Joomi nodded with a smile as she gestured for the next person in line to begin. “Hi, Joomi-ssi” I’m Hwang Hyunjin, I’m eighteen and I’m an Alchemist. Your inn is really lovely. If we have to come back here often, then I wouldn’t complain at all!” Joomi raised her eyebrows at Hyunjin’s bubbly personality and laughed as it was her turn to be complimented.

 

“Well, thank you very much, Hyunjin. Alrighty, the timid redhead hiding behind Hyunjin, care to introduce yourself?” Hyunjin hadn’t even realised that Seungmin had moved slightly behind him, as if asking the Alchemist to protect him. While Jeongin had only begun to experience the painful trials that Siwan’s house had offered, Seungmin had endured them to a much greater extent during his lengthy stay in the prison. It seemed to Hyunjin that this had shattered whatever trust he was able to place in the adults of this world based on the secure grip Seungmin had on his jacket.

 

“Kim Seungmin. I’m an Illusionist. Nice to meet you.” Joomi moved forward, causing Seungmin to grab onto Hyunjin’s hand, which the other squeezed back.

 

“Seungmin, as horrifying as I look, I’m not that bad. You don’t have to be so shy around me or is there a reason that you don’t seem to trust me?” All of the other boys quickly raised their arms, words of protest leaving their mouths as they tried to take the focus off of Seungmin, whose eyes fell to the floor. “Ah, there is a reason then? But I’m not supposed to ask? Don’t worry angel, if it takes a while to warm up to me, then I’ll wait until you are ready. Ok, darling?”

  
Joomi’s warm eyes crinkled shut as she smiled lovingly towards Seungmin, who felt a little silly for reacting so harshly to the woman who seemed quite lovely. He bowed in apology but still remained behind Hyunjin.

 

“And the last one. Honey, you’re up.”

 

Minho scratched his head before Jisung moved up to him and nudged his side as an indication to begin his greeting for the woman. “I’m Lee Minho. Pleased to meet you.”

  
Joomi arched her eyebrow, eyeing Jisung’s behaviour towards the older boy but decided to remain silent on the subject, though Chan had picked up on the slight pause in her actions. “Well then, that’s all of you, right? I know the other four already. So, how do you boys want to room tonight? Three rooms of three?”

  
All boys nodded at the suggestion as they lugged their bags to their rooms. Woojin and Chan grabbed Seungmin and Jeongin and began to guide them towards the exit once again to purchase the equipment that would help them progress through the game. Minho, Jisung and Changbin decided to leave with them but diverted to a coffee shop to relax instead. Felix and Hyunjin remained at the inn, with Hyunjin arranging all of his items in his backpack so that they would be easier to access if a fight were to suddenly break out. It seemed like the smartest thing to do when he thought back to everything that they had encountered since he had joined the group.

 

“Hey Lix, that night in Aquiria, when you went for a walk with Changbin hyung, did anything in particular happen?” Felix looked up from the bed where he was placed; the bestiary that he was studying from to learn about more of the monsters in the game settled on his lap. Hyunjin’s wiggling eyebrows showed Felix what he was trying to insinuate, causing the younger boy to huff in exasperation.

 

“No, Jinnie, nothing happened and especially not like _that_.”

 

“Oh, come on, what did you guys talk about? Surely you weren’t gone for over an hour just to walk around in silence.”

 

Felix was unsure whether or not he wanted to divulge the information to the older boy but Hyunjin was his best friend and if he was going to mention it to anyone, then it would be him. “Ok, I’ll tell you but promise not to freak out, alright?”

 

“Then don’t give me something to freak out about! Come on, Lix. Did you gaze into each other’s eyes under the setting sun?” A firm pillow came into contact with Hyunjin’s face while Felix allowed his gaze to fall back to his book.

 

“Forget it, Hyunjin. I’m not telling you anything anymore. You’ve lost your privileges as the best friend.” Hyunjin crawled forward and placed his chin on Felix’s knee before giving him the best puppy eyes that he could muster up.

 

“Ok, ok, I promise that I won’t tease you about Changbin hyung anymore. So, what happened between you two?”

 

The sound of Felix’s book shutting indicated to Hyunjin that he was ready to speak. “We walked outside of the city gates for a while, it wasn’t for very long but there was a reason that he brought me out there.” Hyunjin bit his lip as he tried to stop a cheeky smile from forming on his face. He wanted to hear the rest of the story but knew that if he showed in any way that he was making fun of Felix, then the other boy would most likely hit him in the face again.

 

“He...he took me out there because he wanted me to try and summon a beast.”

 

Hyunjin wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly and shook his head to rid himself of any haze that might have affected his hearing. “I’m sorry, Lix. I don’t think I heard you right. Did you just say Changbin hyung asked you to summon a beast?” Hyunjin’s fears were confirmed once Felix nodded his head to indicate that he had heard accurately the first time. Anger flared through his extremities as he leapt up from his seated position. “He asked you to do what?!”

 

Felix was forced to grab Hyunjin’s hand as he had headed for the door, more than likely to give Changbin a piece of his mind for asking his friend to do such a thing. “Jinnie, relax. He didn’t force me to do it, he just thought that it might have been a good idea!”

 

“In what world would that have been a good idea?! We all know how scared you are so why in the hell would he even go there in the first place?!” Felix’s hold was tight around Hyunjin’s arm as the other tried his best to wiggle free of the younger boy’s grasp.

 

“Wait, Hyunjin, stop struggling! I think it’s a good idea too!” Felix stumbled back a bit as he was so intent on stopping Hyunjin from leaving the room, that he didn’t notice the other boy’s body became lax upon hearing his thoughts.

 

“Y-you think it’s a good idea? You want to try and summon a beast even though you have a phobia of them? I’m sorry, they must have changed the definition of a good idea from the last time I heard the meaning.” Grabbing Felix’s arms, Hyunjin forced the younger boy to look at him. “Lix, think about this a little bit more, alright? You know how you get when you come into contact with monsters, it takes a hell of a long time for you to calm down and if you were to be the one to control them, your reactions would more than likely be amplified. Is-is it because it was Changbin hyung that asked you to do it? Lix, listen, I know you like him but you don’t have to do it just because he wants you to. You have to think about what’s best for you in a situation like this.”

 

“I am, Jinnie. I’m thinking about how this damn fear has been holding me back. How I would be able to fight back if I could summon the beasts to help me. How I could be a great asset to the team if I wasn’t hiding in the back while I let the rest of you protect me. I want to do this and it’s not just because Changbin hyung asked me, it’s because _I_ want to overcome this.”

 

Once Hyunjin saw the determination in his friend’s face, he loosened his grip and backed away. A small nudge was pushed against Hyunjin’s shoulder while Felix smirked slightly. “I’m lucky to have someone that cares about me so much. Thank you, Jinnie. I know you’re only worried about me and I appreciate that but I feel like this is something that I need to do. Just don’t tell anybody else about this, alright? I don’t know when I’ll be ready to attempt this and I don’t want everyone to keep asking if I’ve managed to try it yet. This is a secret between you, me and Changbin hyung, alright?”

 

Hyunjin dragged his teeth over his lips, stopping himself from protesting any further on the subject as he nudged Felix back. “Alright, Lix, I promise. I won’t say anything to anyone else but when you do try this, I want to be there with you.”

 

Felix nodded with a bright smile, showing that he was grateful for his friend’s support. Once the tension had cleared, Felix went back to reading his bestiary, with Hyunjin resuming his work within his backpack. He wasn’t going to say anything to any of the other boys on the subject, just as he had promised Felix. Saying something to Changbin, on the other hand, was top on his list of priorities. He wasn’t going to let something like this go so easily.

 

* * *

 

The light wind whistled through the town as the four boys entered Chul Moo’s weapons emporium. The man remembered Chan from his previous visit and asked him if he needed his sword to be touched up, which the Knight politely declined. Chan couldn’t help but scrutinise the man who he had been so sure was a human the first time that he had met him but just as Woojin had said, he possessed a green ring around his wrist, which indicated that he belonged to this world and this world alone. Seeing the doubt in Chan’s eyes, Woojin encouraged the younger boy to question Chul Moo about the game to prove his point. When Chan had inquired as to who ran Phantasm, Chul Moo stood quietly for exactly five seconds before greeting them as if they had just entered the shop, with no reference to Chan’s inquiry.

 

Trying to decide on appropriate weapons for the younger boys had been somewhat of a challenge, even with Chul Moo’s input. Seungmin’s abilities required him to be placed away from an enemy, so a short range attack weapon would have been useless. Going through a number of weapons, Seungmin couldn’t decide on what would fit him the best. As the others deliberated, Seungmin closed his eyes, placing his left hand to his side and began to walk around the store. His fingers brushed off various swords and guns but none of them felt right to him. A sudden spark tickled his palm and with his eyes still closed, he reached down to pick up whatever it was that had called out to him. Tense fingers wrapped around a Gakgung Bow, with Seungmin holding it up in front of his face. The bamboo core and oak handle became dazzling to Seungmin as he pulled the string back to aim in front of him, though no arrow was present. He knew that this is what he needed, something that he could protect himself and the others with but that would also allow him to remain at a distance and create his illusions if need be.

 

On the other end of the shop, Jeongin glanced at all the store had to offer. He hadn’t managed to use any weapons since he had arrived in Phantasm as he had been taken to Siwan’s house almost immediately after arriving in the game so, the thoughts of having to learn how to defend himself was now a little daunting. He knew that he couldn’t simply rely on his necromancy skills to help him. Ever since Chan had lectured him on the beach, Jeongin thought that he should no longer be afraid of the powers that were part of who he was and that he should try his best to master them but they still took a painful toll on his body. He thought that perhaps it was because he had learned how to use them in the wrong way. Siwan was the only one who had tried to teach him, though his methods of education and knowledge on the subject of necromancy were exceedingly poor. He needed a teacher but Necromancers were few and far between, so he would have to try himself until he stumbled across one, though he knew that may never happen.

 

Jeongin noticed Seungmin with his Bow and the other boys admiring his choice, while telling him to pick out some defensive clothing. Jeongin knew that he had to hurry and pick out his weapon. He wasn’t quite sure if he was a short or long range fighter since he had never been in a conflict before; well, not one in which he could have fought back in anyways. Something caught his eye as he passed it, causing laughter of disbelief to fall from his mouth. Would it be too twisted if he chose this as his weapon? He took the piece down to admire the craftsmanship and weighed the object as he inspected it. It felt like this weapon belonged in his hands, its sharp edge promising the protection that Jeongin was searching for. It stood a little bit shorter than himself and felt just light enough for Jeongin to be able to swing it around freely. Delicate indentations littered the weapon, dark vines making their way up the handle. He found that its blade could be hidden away, allowing him to safely carry it around on his back. Grasping it in his hands, he made his way over to Woojin and Chan, who were waiting for Seungmin to emerge from the changing rooms.

  
“Woojin hyung, Chan hyung. I think I’ve found my weapon.”

 

“That’s great, Innie, what did you-” Both boys had turned with bright smiles upon their faces but upon seeing Jeongin’s choice, intrigued frowns replaced their happiness.

 

“Wow, you’re really buying into this whole Necromancer thing, huh? Are you sure you want that one?” Chan scratched the back of his head as he bit his lip. He knew that Jeongin had made the decision to come to terms with his class and in turn, would try to develop his skills but upon seeing the pitch black Scythe in the young boy’s hands, he thought that he might have been taking Chan’s advice to embrace his class a little too seriously.

 

“Yep, this is it. I like how it feels in my hands. Plus I won’t have to learn too many particular skills when it comes to a close range weapon like this, though it will take some time to get used to.” Jeongin laughed at the puzzled look on his hyungs' faces, neither of them knowing how to reply to his logic.

 

Seungmin finally emerged from the dressing room sporting an amber sweatshirt that fell to his knees, where it met with denim jeans and golden trainers. Jeongin thought the colours suited the Illusionist and blended very well with his crimson hair. “Wah, Innie. Is that what you chose as your weapon? It makes you look like a Grim Reaper, which is awfully ironic considering your class.” Seungmin had said what everyone had been thinking but hadn’t had the guts to articulate. It earned him a small punch from Woojin as he laughed at the two young boys.

 

Once Jeongin had bought his Scythe and clothing, which came in the form of a loose fitting, baby blue shirt and black chinos, the boys exited the store to head back to the inn. Seungmin bowed towards the older boys as a form of thanks for treating them so well, even after they had already done enough by saving them from their dire situation.

 

“No worries, Seungminnie. Like we told Jeongin earlier, we’ll take care of you and you can take care of the others in our group. That is the only rule that we have. Look out for each other.” Woojin pulled the younger boy closer to his side, giving a small squeeze of reassurance to his shoulders.

 

Seungmin nodded but thought back on his time in Phantasm so far. It had always been Seungmin’s mindset to look out for number one before anyone else. Having to change that would take a little bit of time but he knew he could do it if it was for the group of boys which he felt would become more than his group of friends as time went by.

 

* * *

 

The sun was beginning to disappear beyond the horizon by the time everyone had returned to their lodging. This would be the only night that they would spend in Joomi’s inn since they wanted to get to Morthan as quickly as possible to attend the tournament that would take place in five days. Thinking about this, Woojin asked all of the boys if any of them would like to enter the competition or if they would all be content with watching it instead.

 

“They said that the prizes would be announced on the first day so we don’t really know what exactly it is that we would be fighting for but we will have to take the chance if any of you guys want to do it.” Chan scanned the room and the boy’s contemplative expressions before a hand being raised into the air caught his attention.

 

“I’d kind of like to give it a try. I think it would be a good way to test out how advanced my abilities are.” Hyunjin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as Seungmin volunteered to enter the contest which they knew hardly anything about. Pulling the other boy’s hand down, he laughed humorlessly before turning to the Illusionist, who looked confused at Hyunjin’s sudden actions.

 

“Minnie, what are you doing? You can’t enter a fight like that. You’re not ready yet.”

 

“What do you mean I’m not ready? Why? Do you think that I’m not strong enough to do this?” Hyunjin reeled back as it felt like Seungmin’s piercing eyes were burning a hole into his face.

 

“No, Minnie, that’s not what I- ok then, if you’re going to enter, then so am I. It said that we can enter in teams of two, right? I’ll partner up with Seungmin then and we’ll do this together, ok?” Seungmin felt that it wasn’t a question of whether it was alright that Hyunjin was on his team but rather that he wasn’t going to be allowed to enter _unless_ Hyunjin was on his team. Not that Seungmin had a problem with this, in fact, he welcomed the support. He nodded to show that Hyunjin’s compromise suited him.

 

“To be honest, I’d kind of like to try it out as well, if anyone wants to do it with me.” Jisung swayed from side to side, hoping that someone would volunteer to pair up with him like Hyunjin had done for Seungmin. Jisung already had a specific partner in mind but when Minho cast his eyes away from the younger boy, his hopes were dashed before a hand caught his wrist.

 

“I’ll pair up with you if you want, Jisungie.” Jisung couldn’t help but pull his hand away as Changbin’s icy fingers came into contact with his heated skin.

 

“Really, hyung? You don’t mind pairing up with little, old me? You think you can handle it?”

 

“Out of everyone here, I’m the one who has known you the longest and I’m also the one who knows you the best but if you don’t want to team up with me, then that’s fine…” Changbin covered his face as he as he pouted and whimpered to pull at Jisung’s heartstrings. Rolling his eyes at the other’s dramatics, he harshly pushed on his hyung’s shoulders, causing Changbin to fall backwards onto Chan’s lap.

 

“Good god, alright. We’ll be a team. Hey, maybe we’ll end up going against Seungmin and Hyunjin. You guys better prepare yourselves. Changbin hyung and I have been fighting together for months, we’re completely in sync and know what the other is thinking before they even think it!”

 

“Completely in sync? What about that time you were training together and you ended up running into each other and knocking Changbin out?” Jisung and Changbin couldn’t believe how Woojin had outed them like that. Laughter filled the room at the two boy’s escapades while Jisung began to whack Woojin with all of his might. Nobody else was particularly interested in participating in the tournament. The two small teams that had been formed gathered together to discuss potential strategies and outcomes. Hyunjin knew that it would be somewhat difficult to fight with Seungmin since they had only spent a short amount of time together but he couldn’t let him do this alone. He needed help and Hyunjin was going to be damned if he wasn’t going to be the one to give it to him.

 

* * *

 

Harsh echoes flooded the room as the Bokken Swords came into contact with each other. The floor was covered in sweat that originated from the two fighting men, who showed no signs of easing up on their friendly match. They had fought together so many times at this stage that they knew exactly how to react to each other’s attacks, not giving the other any room for mistakes.

 

“Both of you, your stances are looking a bit wobbly. Are you getting tired? I thought the two of you had a lot more stamina than this. You’re not going to be able to get very far in the tournament if you’re faltering already.” The man ruffled his ash hair, slumping against the back wall while watching his friends train. The only way he could seem to get through to their stubborn ass personalities was to playfully insult them. It obviously seemed to work as both grinned at him before putting even more effort into their fight.

 

“So, you think that they’ll be ready for this? Not that we’ll ever let them know this but they are the strongest fighters in our group. Though you could probably give them a run for their money, hyung.” A soda can was flung towards the man as another of his group joined him to watch the sparring match.

 

“Of course they will be. You’re right though, they can never know how powerful we know they are. Their egos are already big enough, we don’t need to endure anymore of their boasting.”

 

“Hyung, you think Changbin will be there? It’d be fun to see him again. It’s been nearly five months. I’d like to see how he’s progressed since we last saw him. The kid was already powerful after his first month, he must be some sort of monster now if he’s managed to progress at a steady rate.”

 

“What’s wrong, Jackson? Are you afraid that the student has surpassed the master? Don’t worry, hyung still thinks that you’re a very strong Battle Priest.” The man squished Jackson’s cheeks, eliciting annoyed grunts from the younger boy.

 

“You know, Jaebum hyung, as much as I love your affection, abusing my face like that isn’t appreciated. Hey, Yugyeom! Bambam’s going to win the match if you don’t perk up a bit!” Just as Jackson shouted his advice, Bambam swished his training sword underneath Yugyeom’s legs, causing the younger boy to come crashing to the ground with the sword now placed at his throat. A hand was quickly offered to the young man from Bambam, who chuckled at the surprised look on the other’s face.

 

“You did that on purpose Jackson. Yugyeom was doing just fine until you shouted at him.” Jaebum looked disapprovingly at the younger man, before averting his gaze back to the boys in the middle of hugging after their friendly bout.

 

“Yeah, I did. I bet Yugyeom that he couldn’t win the fight against Bambam. I’m not losing any more money to that kid, he already owns enough of my coins.”

 

Jaebum almost scolded him for his dirty trick but when he heard thunderous footsteps coming towards them, emanating from Yugyeom who was about to throttle Jackson for distracting him, he simply let the younger boy punish him for his characteristic slyness. He hoped Jackson was right, he also wanted to see Changbin and how much he had progressed. If there was ever going to be a chance to meet up with him again, the tournament in Morthan was going to be their best opportunity and that’s exactly where they were going to head next.


	16. Make new friends, but don't forget the old. One is silver, the other is gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you guys. Some SKZ/GOT7 interactions coming your way in this chapter! Hope you enjoy!

After all of the boys had said their goodbyes to Joomi, with Seungmin managing a small handshake with the woman, they made their way to the capital city. They travelled for three days through the sunny grasslands and were fortunate enough not to encounter any undesirable weather. It had been less than a week since Jeongin and Seungmin had become part of the family but the difference in their temperaments, especially Jeongin’s, was interesting to say the least. As was a strange custom with Jisung and the new members that were added to the group, he challenged them to an impromptu race as they walked along the path, with Jeongin jumping at the chance for some fun. Seungmin politely declined and stated that he would simply watch, with Jisung being oblivious to the wink he threw to Jeongin. Hyunjin jogged to stand in front of both of the boys to act as a the starter. He raised his hand, smirking slightly as he caught on to what Seungmin was trying to do. 

 

“Ok, are you both ready? On your marks, get set, go!” Hyunjin dropped his arm in a swift motion before Jeongin took off running. Jisung hadn’t managed to move a step however, as a delicate weight was placed on his back but one that definitely made a difference to how quickly he could move. 

 

“Hey! Wait! Jeongin, come back here! Seungmin, get the hell off of my back. This is cheating, I won’t stand for this kind of disrespect! I’m your hyung!” Jisung wiggled with all of his might but Seungmin had secured himself so tightly on the other’s back that there was no way he was winning the race now. 

 

“You’re eight days older than me, you can’t use ‘I’m your hyung’ to try and make me feel guilty. You knew damn well when you challenged him that Jeongin wouldn’t have a chance of winning the race, since you have a higher agility stat and  _ that  _ is what I would call cheating. Run, Innie!” Seungmin’s giggles caused vibrations to run through Jisung’s body as he tried even harder to break free but eventually gave up and conceded that he was no match for the two little devils that had him wrapped around their little fingers. 

 

As they camped for the three nights, both of the teams that had been formed in Haknal decided to take time to train together and develop their teamwork. Jisung had been right about one thing, he and Changbin were completely in sync when fighting, though their personalities were as different as night and day. Jisung had requested assistance from Minho when training with Changbin, asking him if he could stand in as an enemy to test their reaction times. Jisung thought that in their group, Changbin had the best control over his abilities but when it came to physical strength and agility, Minho was the clear winner, which is why he had chosen him to be their opponent. 

 

After engaging in a few different scenarios with the two boys, Minho came to the conclusion that they were prepared for anything that he could have thrown at them. While Jisung focused on up front attacks and distracting Minho, Changbin used buffs and magic to intercept Minho’s attacks towards the Thief. All of them knew it would be a different thing altogether when the boys had to go up against two enemies who were hell bent on winning rather than a friend who was simply trying to test out their teamwork. During one round of fighting, Minho forgot that he was only supposed to lightly attack the younger boys and used the hilt of his Katana to knock Jisung’s legs out from under him, causing the younger boy to fly towards the ground. 

 

“Ow, hyung! What the fuck?!” 

 

“Oof, you’d better not let Woojin hyung hear you swearing like that, he wouldn’t be very happy with your foul mouth. Besides, your opponents won’t be as kind as me when you go up against them in the tournament.” 

 

“Kind is a funny way to describe yourself when you’re the reason I’m on the ground like this,” Jisung muttered while his unimpressed expression made both Minho and Changbin fall into a fit of laughter before Minho grasped Jisung’s smaller hand and pulled him up. They concluded that they had done enough training for one day and headed back to the others.

 

Seungmin and Hyunjin had also moved away from the group but took a different approach to their training compared to Jisung and Changbin. They didn’t ask for any assistance and thought that they could simply do this by themselves, not wanting to inconvenience the others in the group. 

 

“Ok, we go up against a Knight like Chan hyung, what do you make?” Hyunjin rummaged through his bag to try and quickly think of what he could fashion to stop such an attacker. Seungmin had suggested that he call out classes for the Alchemist, so that he could quickly create something that would work against the person the younger boy had come up with. 

 

“Smoke bomb, it disorientates the attacker. Once I do, we dissipate and you create your illusions to throw them off. What would you create?”

 

“Hmm, I could make a number of things. Something that would aid in obscuring their vision. Perhaps a wall to enclose them while we got into a more favourable position and lay into them from there.”

 

Hyunjin nodded with a grin as he urged Seungmin to throw another scenario his way. This was training and he knew it but he couldn’t help thinking that this was like a game to test his abilities and thought that it was pretty fun playing it with Seungmin. 

 

“Ah, ok. A Doubler, someone who can create a clone of themselves, what do you do?” 

 

“Clones are exceedingly easy to see through if you pay attention. Though they can attack like their creator, there are always slight differences such as the presence of a mole, hair parted in a slightly different way or even something as silly as different coloured socks. The tournament will obviously have a no killing rule but you can eliminate a clone without affecting the producer. Maybe it’s just me but I’ve found fire to be the most effective way to off something that you no longer want around!”   

 

“And how long would it take you to fashion something like that?”

  
  
“Um, maybe a minute, probably a little bit less.”

  
  
“You’re going to have to think of a way to do it faster because I don’t want to be holding off two people, or rather three people with the presence of a clone, by myself. I have faith that you’ll find a way before we arrive in Morthan.” Seungmin gave a sly smile to the older boy, who sighed with irritation.  

 

“I’ll have plenty of bombs and potions assembled before we even enter the arena, don’t worry. Ok, enough about my skills, let’s see how far you’ve progressed with your Bow.” Hyunjin gestured towards the weapon that lay to the side of where they stood. Seungmin sauntered over with overflowing confidence and picked up his Bow, while placing the guard on his arm. “Where the hell has this cockiness come out of? Were you always this smug?” 

 

“Only when I’m around you, Jinnie.” Hyunjin squirmed a little upon hearing the nickname that Felix had given him when they had become friends. Though, when it came out of Seungmin’s mouth, it gave off an entirely different vibe but one that Hyunjin didn’t particularly dislike. In fact, he wished Seungmin would say it more often since it indicated to the older boy that the Illusionist was becoming more comfortable around him. 

 

“Ok, see that notch on the third tree from the left? Try and get your arrow somewhere around-” Seungmin had already placed his arrow on the nocking point and pulled the bowstring back to meet his lip. Hand firm on the grip, Seungmin released the arrow as it whistled through the air, hitting his target dead on. 

 

“Something like that?” 

 

“Y-yeah, something like that.” When Seungmin had brought his Bow back from the store, Hyunjin had been more than slightly intrigued, since it was a weapon that relied mostly on aim, which Hyunjin also depended on. He had offered to coach Seungmin on how to get the most out of his new weapon and after a mere three days, Hyunjin thought that Seungmin must have had some inherent ability since he could hit any mark that Hyunjin called out to him. Sure, Hyunjin thought his training might have helped him in some way but nobody could pick an ability up this quickly simply by being taught. 

 

Seungmin bounced up and down happily before looking to Hyunjin, expecting some sort of praise. Instead, he was met with wide eyes as his hands were pulled towards the other boy. “Minnie, you’ve got blisters all over your fingers! Jeez, how much have you been training without me?” Hyunjin caressed the younger boy’s hands as he inspected the damage. 

 

Seungmin smirked at the contact that he had become so familiar with during the last week. He realised within the first couple of days that Hyunjin was very comfortable when it came to skinship, though Seungmin was not but when it was Hyunjin who instigated it, he really didn’t mind all that much.

 

“I may have stayed up a little bit later the last couple of nights when everybody else was sleeping but hey, it seems that it was the right choice. I could probably surpass you when it comes to aim at this stage, which is really my life goal at this point.” Seungmin’s laughter filled the wooded area as Hyunjin’s fingers mercilessly digged into his sides. 

 

After a few moments, Hyunjin carefully grabbed Seungmin’s hand and began to guide him towards their camp. “We’ll ask Changbin hyung to fix up your hands. We can’t have them looking like that in a couple of days when we take part in the tournament. I need you at your best if we’re going to be any good.”

 

“I’m always at my best. Don’t worry about me, I’m stronger than you think.” 

 

Thinking about everything that Seungmin had endured but managed to persevere through, Hyunjin smirked at the other boy. “I don’t doubt that for one second, Minnie.” 

 

* * *

 

Felix tapped underneath Jeongin’s chin as an indication to close his mouth when it had fallen open once he had seen the size of the metropolis in front of him. Twice the size of Aquiria, the capital city boasted excitement and adventure to all who stepped inside of its doors. Crowds bustled through the streets, buying their produce and information before the boys mingled in with them. Chan thought that it would be awfully easy to lose each other in the throng of people, so he took the lead and told Felix to place his hands on his shoulders, with each of the other boys following suit until they formed a long line, with Woojin watching the back. Giant signs advertised the grand tournament that would take place the following day and pointed out where exactly people were to go to register for the event. Trying to maneuver through the mass of people was not a particularly easy task but eventually, the group of boys found the enormous, stone building where a long queue of competitors flowed out the door. After fifteen minutes of waiting, Chan managed to make it through the doorway, with the younger boys following him like ducklings. Two plump men, with wrists adorned with coloured rings, sat behind a large, wooden desk and ushered the group forward to sign up for the competition. 

 

“Name, age, class.” The monotonous tone that fell from the man’s lips told Minho that he had been doing this for much longer than he would have liked and it had become like a chant to him at this stage. 

 

“Hwang Hyunjin, I’m 18 and I am an Alchemist.” Both nodded with slight interest gracing their features as Hyunjin beamed at the two older men but this didn’t seem to affect their mood in any way as they simply scribbled the details in their notebooks and silently moved him out of the way to get the next person’s specs. 

 

“K-Kim Seungmin, 18, Illusionist.” Both men stopped writing to look up at him, eyebrows raised. Hyunjin knew it was because Seungmin held a rare class but could tell that the younger boy was becoming uncomfortable at the way they were staring at him, like Siwan had done when he first discovered what class Seungmin had been assigned. Wrapping his arm around the Illusionist’s waist, he directed him away from the two leering men before he nodded towards both, eyes warning them to keep away from his friend.  

 

“Next!” 

 

“Uh, Han Jisung, 18, Thief.” Jisung grabbed Changbin’s arm at the sight of the the bald man glaring at him, as if asking for his partner’s details without saying anything. 

 

“Seo Changbin, 19, Combat Medic.” 

 

The men halted writing once again as they both raised their eyes but not their heads. “You’re Seo Changbin?” 

 

The Medic turned to look at the others due to the fact that he wasn’t quite sure what was happening. “Um, yeah, I’m Seo Changbin. I’m sorry, do you know me?”

  
  
“We were told to give you a message if you turned up here.” Bending down to rummage at his feet, one of the men returned with a folded piece of crinkled paper, showing Changbin that these men obviously didn’t get paid enough to keep his message particularly safe from being crumpled. 

 

“Uh, thanks, I guess. Who gave it to you?”

 

“We don’t know, some young man. Now, out of the way, you’re holding up the line. Next!” Changbin flinched as the man’s holler pierced his ears before he was shoved out of the way by a rather colossal looking woman. 

 

“Some young man, that’s  _ exceedingly  _ helpful.” Once Changbin had moved off to the side, he began to unfold the paper, with all eight boys crowding around him to look over his shoulder. 

 

_ ‘Come to the Airgead bar in the ninth district at 8pm sharp. _

_ We have something to discuss with you.’ _

 

“Well, that sounds extremely ominous. You have any idea what this is about, hyung?” Changbin shook his head with Jisung’s arm still wrapped around his neck. 

 

“Are you going to go, hyung?” Jeongin looked up at the older boy with worried eyes before Changbin ruffled his hair. Everyone knew that, even though Seungmin and Jeongin had become comfortable around them, they still had extreme trust issues when it came to others, especially unknown strangers who left cryptic messages for their friends. 

 

“Even if this was something sinister, I’ll be fine since I assume none of you are going to let me go alone, right?” 

 

* * *

 

Nine boys walked towards the bustling bar, which housed numerous patrons who obviously had more than their fair share of alcohol. Chan and Woojin linked arms with Jeongin, thinking that he was far too innocent to be in a place in which there were people throwing punches, making out and generally making terrible life choices, fueled by the copious amounts of alcohol they had consumed. However, Jeongin seemed to be taking in everything that he could when he entered the establishment. Thinking back to what Jeongin had explained to them, Chan remembered that he said he had barely entered the game when he was taken by Siwan and his men, so his fascination with everything was similar to the Knight’s since he was seeing everything for the first time. 

 

Changbin surveyed the area, searching for answers and anyone who he thought could have sent him the letter to draw him to the destination. Felix noticed Changbin going further and further into the crowd of people, before dragging him back so he wouldn’t get separated from the others. The younger boy was slightly worried about the safety of the other since he had said he had no idea as to who was calling him to a place like this, so he wasn’t going to let him out of his sight. 

 

With Felix’s hands still wrapped around his arm, Changbin suddenly froze as he felt eyes fall upon him, though he still couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the energy was coming from. Before he knew what was happening, both he and Felix were on the grimy, wooden floor as he was enveloped in a pair of arms that did not belong to the younger boy. 

 

“Baby Changbin! We found you!” Grimacing at the pain in his head, he suddenly came back to the present, realising that he recognised the voice that emanated from the man hugging him. 

 

“Jackson hyung?! What the fuck are you doing here?!” Jackson gasped in mock horror at the Medic’s foul words, placing a jeweled hand over his mouth. A wide grin spread across Changbin’s face at seeing his old friend again but the smile quickly dropped when he noticed numerous weapons aimed at Jackson’s head, courtesy of all eight boys in his group; the most prominent being Felix’s Whip, which was securely placed around Jackson’s wrist to stop him from making any further movements. Quickly jumping up from the ground, Changbin waved his hands to try and defuse the tense situation that had been created by the young man’s antics. 

 

“Woah, guys! Calm down! This is a friend of mine. His name is Jackson. He’s one of the people who found me when I first entered Phantasm, so can you stop trying to kill him, please? Lix, let go of him, I’m perfectly fine.” 

 

Upon hearing the Medic’s reassurances that he was not in any danger, all boys relaxed, dropping their weapons from the other’s head, with Felix’s Whip loosening its tenacious grip. The blond boy hopped up to stand beside Changbin, clutching his arm once again. 

 

“Hyung, you’re the one who sent the message? Are the others here too?” Changbin’s eyes seemed to light up at the thought and illuminated even further when Jackson nodded his head emphatically at both questions, gesturing to the upper floor. Changbin took a step forward but couldn’t move any further as Felix’s hold was still placed upon him while he stared Jackson down, possibly for pushing him onto the floor with no apology. “Lix, he’s a decent person, you don’t have to look like you want to murder him. It’s alright.” Changbin gently stroked Felix’s hand, earning a small, sly grin from Jackson.  

 

“Jackson hyung, these are my friends. I’m travelling with all of them at the moment.” Changbin gestured to each of the boys, offering their names as Jackson stood in front of each one of them, giving them a firm handshake. 

 

“Thought you said that you wanted to travel alone, advance your skills. Isn’t that why you left us? Was there another reason? Were we simply not good enough for you?!” Changbin scoffed at Jackson’s dramatics as he was still shaking Chan’s hand in the middle of his outburst, causing the Knight to edge backwards slightly. 

 

“I did travel on my own for a while. Got bored, things changed. Hyung, this is Felix.”

 

“Felix, eh? I’ll have to remember that name. Seems like you’re important to Changbin.” Felix looked to the Medic, whose face had exploded with colour. “Ah and by the way, sorry for pushing you onto the ground earlier. I just needed to make my entrance as climactic as possible.” Felix chuckled and returned the handshake. Maybe Jackson wasn’t as bad as Felix had first believed. Once the introductions were out of the way, Changbin stood in front of the others and gestured to the second floor.

 

“C’mon guys, I want you to meet the rest of the hyungs who rescued me.” Changbin raced up the stairs, leaving all of them standing there, staring at how excited Changbin seemed to be at meeting his old friends. Once they had reached the top of the steps, they stopped to observe Changbin being glomped by Jackson and six other men, who were all emphatically shouting his name. Changbin’s giggles reached their ears and knew that he was most definitely not in any danger like they had previously thought. Once he had broken free from their grasp, Changbin ushered them over to begin the introductions. 

 

“Everyone, these are the hyungs that found me during my first day in Phantasm. They collectively call themselves GOT7. Don’t ask me why they gave themselves a group nickname, it just makes them lamer than they already are.” This earned Changbin a smack on the arm from the tallest member of the group, who smiled dangerously at the younger boy. 

 

“This is Yugyeom hyung, he’s the maknae of the group, like you Jeongin. He’s a Dark Sniper which is pretty much the same as a regular Sniper but he uses dark energy to strengthen his attacks.” Jeongin’s eyes widened at the information as he stared at the handsome boy. 

 

“Y-you can use dark energy? Can you control it?” Yugyeom chuckled before moving forwards towards Jeongin. 

  
  
“Sure I can, why? Do you possess a class that uses dark energy? Do you need some help with commanding it?” Jeongin’s eyes fell, obviously not wanting to tell the other about what class he held as it always drew unfavourable reactions out of people. He had already decided to embrace his class but the way people looked at him when they found out what he was still hurt him too much. 

 

“He’s a Necromancer, Yugyeom. You should teach him some of your tricks to help him manage his skills.” Jeongin’s head snapped up at the mention of his class and he felt his eyes well up at the thought of one of his friends outing his insecurities like that but soon realised it wasn’t one of his hyungs that let the information go but rather a gray haired man who sat on the couch behind Yugyeom. 

 

“Jaebum hyung, Jeongin doesn’t really like people to know what class he is, so please keep your voice down.” Changbin gestured to Jaebum while the other simply smirked and scratched his nose. 

 

“Why not? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with holding a class like that. Jeongin, if you’d like, Yugyeom could assist you in trying to control it, when he isn’t fighting in the tournament, that is.” Jaebum threw a warm smile in the direction of the two youngest boys of the groups while Yugyeom turned to Jeongin, nodding to show that he was up for the challenge of taking on a student. Jeongin’s energy surged to breaking point, the thrill of being able to control his abilities taking over. 

 

“Jaebum hyung is a Psychic, which is why he was able to tell what class Innie is. He’s also the ‘leader’ of the group since he was the first out of all of us to enter Phantasm. Must be coming up on a year now, right hyung?” Jaebum sighed with a simple shake of his head. 

 

“There are so many of you.” Jaebum moved his finger over each of their heads before dropping it. “Nine, wow. Changbin, do you just go around picking up stray kids during your travels?”

 

“Oh, that would be a good nickname for your group!”

 

“Thanks but we don’t need a nickname, we’re not as weird as you guys. You’ve already met Jackson hyung, he’s a Battle Priest and pretty much taught me everything I know. He’s a bit of a crackhead but we love him all the same.” Jackson simply stared at Changbin with a deadpan expression as all of the younger boys laughed at his misery. 

 

“Jinyoung hyung is an Engineer, he creates devices and such that aid others in battle. He’s very talented.” Hyunjin’s ears perked up once he heard about the raven haired man’s class. His extroverted personality allowed him to walk straight up to the other and begin to bombard him with questions. Felix thought that since Hyunjin was an Alchemist, Jinyoung held a similar class in the sense that both created objects to assist their teams in battle from seemingly nothing. It wasn’t long before both were lost in conversation, discussing everything that they could assemble and their uses. 

 

“Youngjae hyung is a Scholar, specialising in learning about everything this world has to offer and how it can aid the group, not much a fighter though.” The brunet man simply shrugged and smiled brightly at the group of younger boys, who had no choice but to grin back at the enticing smirk. 

 

“Mark hyung is Gunslinger and Bambam hyung is a Paladin, both relying on their weapons to deal the majority of their damage.” Lounging on the comfortable couches, both men gestured to the group as a greeting. 

 

“A Paladin, that would be similar to a Knight, right? Uh, Bambam...hyung?”   
  


“He’s the same age as you, Channie hyung, no need to refer to him like that.” Bambam jumped up and grabbed Changbin around the waist, before pulling him back down onto the couch. 

 

“If he’s even a day younger than me, he should call me hyung. You don’t get to decide that, baby Changbin.” Embarrassed insults left the Medic’s mouth as he wriggled free, trying to ignore the fit of giggles emanating from his friends. Once Changbin had steadied himself, he gently ruffled his hair to try and compose himself. 

 

“Um, Bambam hyung?” 

 

“Oh god, I was just kidding man, you don’t have to call me hyung if we’re the same age. Bambam is good.”

  
  
“Bambam, do you think you could give me a few pointers on my class. I haven’t really had much of a chance to learn anything by myself, so I think the abilities I could possibly learn are going to waste. Any advice?” Chan was pleading on the inside that the blond man standing in front of him would have some tips on how to improve his class since he couldn’t do very much except use his weapon and shield at this point. 

 

“You haven’t had a chance? How long have you been in Phantasm? 

 

“A little over three weeks at this stage.” Chan couldn’t really believe the words coming out of his own mouth. He had already been in this world for nearly a month and that thought scared him a little. He wondered if anyone had known he was missing, if they’d filed a missing person’s report or anything. He went to work at the orphanage every second day and made sure to speak with his family at least once a week to let them know how he was doing while living so far away from them. He hoped that they wouldn’t have to worry for much longer, if they ever managed to escape. 

 

“Oh, so you’re sort of newbie then? Well, if you’d like I can teach you a few things, like Yugyeom will do for Jeongin but I’m teaming up with him to fight in the tournament so you’ll have to make due with about an hour a day. Would that be ok?” Chan shook his head decisively, showing Bambam that any help that he could offer would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Changbin was thrilled at how well his two groups of friends seemed to be getting along and quickly made his way over to his old comrades to engage in the conversation. With all of the younger boys informing the others about their classes, Felix felt a little bit left out since he didn’t want to let them know about that specific part of his personality. He noticed that Hyunjin was still in deep conversation with Jinyoung, so he made his way over to Changbin and began to tug on his sleeve. 

 

“Hey, Changbin hyung, can I-”

 

“Wait a second, Felix, I’m talking with Mark hyung.” 

 

Changbin wriggled out of Felix’s grasp, causing the younger boy to pout since he wasn’t used to having to fight for Changbin’s attention. As he moved backwards, he felt a hand come into contact with his own, dragging him towards a free couch beside the fireplace. 

 

“Seungmin, what’s wrong?” The red haired boy flopped onto the sofa, pulling Felix down with him as he shook his head. 

 

“Nothing, I just find it a bit suffocating trying to socialise with this many new people and you looked a little out of place since Changbin hyung was too busy to talk to you, so I thought you could keep me company over here. Sorry, I shouldn’t have made that assumption, you were probably fine, I just thought-” 

 

Felix placed his arms around the other as both a form of thanks for rescuing him from the loneliness and as reassurance that he hadn’t done anything wrong. Felix was glad that Seungmin was becoming more relaxed around him, like he was with Hyunjin but thought that he needed to stop apologising for the little insignificant things that nobody else even thought about. Once away from the others, both boys fell into laughter and comfortable conversation, not noticing the way Hyunjin glanced at them from the corner of his eye, his radiant smile reaching his ears. He had also noticed the way that Changbin had shrugged Felix off and the action had once again reminded him that he still needed to speak to the Medic about what he had asked Felix to do while in Aquiria. He wasn’t going to forget about that. 

 

As the time went on and glasses were emptied, stories of daring escapades and embarrassing failures were shared between the groups. Changbin squeezed in tightly between Jackson and Jaebum while they sat across from the others in the group who were currently listening to Youngjae talk about the time he and Jinyoung had managed to accidentally set their room on fire while trying to operate one of the Engineer’s inventions. Hyunjin looked admiringly at Jinyoung upon hearing all that he could create and how they worked. The enthralling tale had all of the younger boys glued to the details, leaving them no time to pay attention to anything happening around them.  

 

“Hey, Jaebum hyung, did you know that our baby Changbin has a boyfriend?” As they were sitting so closely to him, Jaebum and Jackson could feel Changbin jerk at the mention of the word but he remained silent, acting as if he had nothing to worry about.

 

“Oh, really? Who is he?” Jaebum placed his hand in front of Changbin as he tried to stand and walk away from the uncomfortable air surrounding him. 

 

“Shut up hyung, I don’t have a boyfriend!” Struggling with all of his might, he couldn’t loosen the firm grip around his waist as Jackson dragged him back down. 

 

“Oh, are you really sure about that? I’m certain that I saw a spark there.” 

 

“Seriously hyung, leave me alone. Felix isn’t my boyfriend, ok? There is no spark!” 

 

“Felix? I never said anything about Felix, did I Jaebum hyung?” Changbin groaned as he tried to hide his face, recognising his mistake when he realised that Jackson actually hadn’t mentioned Felix in the conversation. 

 

“Nope, you didn’t reveal a name. So, you and Felix, huh? He’s adorable, Bin.” All three looked over to the freckled boy who had his arms wrapped around Jeongin’s neck, chin firmly placed on top of the younger boy’s head as he continued to listen to Youngjae’s story of the group’s antics. 

 

“There is no me and Felix, ok? Nothing is going on between us. He’s just a friend.” Jackson and Jaebum looked to each other, rolling their eyes at the Medic’s obvious feelings for the blond boy in front of them. 

 

“My god, is that what you tell yourself? Is that what you tell  _ him _ ? Christ, you are dense.” Jackson huffed in exasperation, letting his head fall onto the back of the couch. Before Changbin could ask him what he meant, he was forced to place his hands over his ears, as the piercing klaxon, which they had heard nearly a week ago, rang out once again.

  
  


_ Greetings players of Phantasm. _

_ We would like to wish you the best of luck in the tournament that will be taking place over the next couple of days.  _

_ Many of you have registered and we will be overseeing the results that occur. _

  
  


“Ah, so they’re going to be supervising it? They’re obviously going to be assigning proxies to act as referees then.” Mark settled in beside Jackson as he shared his thoughts, the younger boy throwing his arm over his shoulders. 

  
  


_ We would also like to relay some unfortunate news. _

_ The group that previously entered the Rautaja Fortress has been unsuccessful in their attempts and have been eliminated.  _

_ We hope that you will remember them in your thoughts. _

_ Enjoy the rest of your evening and as always: _

_ We hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm.  _

  
  


Silence flooded the once noisy tavern before all eyes fell to the ground; some in sympathy, some in prayer as everyone heard that yet another group had lost their lives to the unbeatable Fortress. Slow murmurs started to rise once again after the shock had passed and everything returned to normal. 

 

“They try to sound so fucking sympathetic when they’re the ones that killed those poor people in the first place. Bastards…” Yugyeom gently patted Bambam’s hand to try and comfort him but everyone knew that the feeling was mutual, yet only Bambam had voiced his opinion on the matter. Nobody was quite sure how to continue their enjoyable evening after such a distressing announcement.

 

* * *

 

Trying to rid themselves of the thought of the forsaken group that had their lives stolen from them in the Fortress, the group made their way back from the bar. While the mood of the evening had been essentially ruined by the announcement, two of the members couldn’t help but hold a bit of hope in their hearts. Jeongin and Chan walked together, talking about how they had finally found mentors to help them along with their classes. Neither of the boys were competing in the tournament but both Bambam and Yugyeom were, so they agreed to meet in a training area that had been set up for the tournament to practice in the following night. Chan was excited at the thought of learning new things that he could use to be a more efficient fighter and protect the others if they were to engage in battle. Jeongin was enthusiastic too but nerves also came along with this optimism. Yugyeom had told him that it wouldn’t be particularly easy to control dark energy since a human’s spirit was naturally light, especially for someone as young as Jeongin but the older boy had reassured him that he would help him, even if it was only a little bit. Honestly, all Jeongin was really hoping to accomplish was lessening the intensity of the pain on his body whenever he used his necromancy abilities. They all agreed to meet in the lobby of the arena the following day so that they could all sit and watch the tournament together, with the exception of those competing. 

 

“Hyung, I want to talk to you about something, alone. You have a minute?” Upon hearing this, Changbin nodded towards Hyunjin, asking Jisung if he wouldn’t mind leaving them alone in the room for a few moments. Short whines left the Thief’s mouth as he had just become comfortable on his bed but quickly moved when he knew that Hyunjin was sharing a room with Minho on that particular night and realised that he would be able to spend some time alone with the other, just the two of them. Quickly slamming the door, Jisung was gone, leaving just Hyunjin, Changbin and the tense silence. 

 

“Hyunjinnie, what can I do for you?” Changbin had begun to turn around to fiddle with his clothing for the following day but didn’t get a chance to reach his destination. 

 

“Did you seriously ask Lix to summon a beast in Aquiria?” Hyunjin’s voice was dangerously low and Changbin knew that he was in trouble. Hyunjin was protective of everyone in the group, especially the younger boys but when it came to Felix, his vigilance was on a whole other level. The Medic was actually surprised that it took this long for Felix to tell Hyunjin about the events of that night in Aquiria but since nobody else had mentioned it, he was really hoping that Felix may have just let it go and forgotten but the seething rage on Hyunjin’s face told Changbin otherwise. 

 

“Uh, ok, Hyunjin, calm down, alright? Yes, I did but I asked Felix to do it for himself more than anyone else. I didn’t mean any harm, though I realise now, it wasn’t the best way to go about it.”

 

“ _ Really?  _ You managed to figure that out, huh? Hyung, Felix trusts you unconditionally, he wouldn’t question your opinions or ideas because he thinks that you will always make the right decision but that’s not going to always be the case and that’s not particularly your fault either. You’re human and you’re going to make mistakes but damn it, hyung! How could you ask him to do something that terrifies him so much? And you know what else? When he told me about all of this, I wanted to go and beat some sense into you but he stopped me from going. He said that you were only trying to help him and that he thought learning to summon his beasts would be a good idea too. He can barely stand in front of one without freaking the fuck out and now he wants to try and summon one? You don’t understand how much this will affect him. He’s going to keep trying until he gets it but we don’t know how long that will take and by the time he gets there, his nerves could be shot to the point of no return and it’s all because it was  _ you  _ that asked him to do it in the first place!” 

 

Changbin really expected Hyunjin’s fist to make contact with his face after hearing the younger boy’s outburst but nothing came. Heavy breaths fell from Hyunjin’s mouth as he tried to collect himself, brushing his messy bangs away from his eyes. The silence rang in Changbin’s ears as he carefully tried to think of what to say next but his mind went blank once he saw frustrated tears welling up in Hyunjin’s eyes, strained sobs barely leaving his mouth. 

 

“I just want him to be safe. He’s gone through too much shit already and I don’t want him to get hurt again, not when I have to power to do something about it. I won’t sit back and watch like I did when he got shot. I won’t let him go through that again, hyung, even for someone like you.” Changbin only let Hyunjin get halfway through his speech before he placed his arms around his shoulders, allowing the younger boy’s head to fall into the crook of his neck, tears staining his shirt. 

 

“Hyunjin, I swear to you that I would never let anything bad happen to Lix, you know that, right? It was stupid of me to ask him to do something like that so suddenly but I know that it is something that he eventually wants to try and I will be beside him the entire time. Nothing will get past me, nothing will ever touch him. I care about him too much to let him get hurt. Trust me, ok? I promise you that I will never allow Felix to go through anything like that again.” 

 

Hyunjin knew that Changbin meant every word that he said to him but he still couldn’t help but think that Changbin wasn’t omnipotent, he couldn’t control everything that would happen to them during their time here. He also knew that this fear was something that Felix wanted to overcome but Hyunjin had no idea how he could help him. Perhaps, with Changbin’s assistance, they could work together to protect him. Small sniffles caused Changbin to pull away and look into Hyunjin’s glossy eyes. “Hyung, when he tells you that he’s ready to try, I want to be there too. I think I’d feel a lot better about the situation if I could stand alongside you and help defend him if he needed it.”

  
  
Changbin sighed deeply, admiring Hyunjin’s fondness and devotion towards Felix. “Of course Hyunjinnie, I think Felix would want you there too.”

 

Hyunjin wiped his nose in his sleeve before straightening himself and re-aligning his shirt to fall back into place. “I’m still pissed at you though.”

  
  
“That’s ok, I’m still a little pissed at myself to be honest.” That managed to evoke a small laugh from Hyunjin, who twirled around after hearing a small thump emanating from the door of the bedroom. Sauntering over, he opened it in one swift movement, allowing both Jisung and Minho to fall in head first. Changbin made his way over to stand beside Hyunjin as they glared at the two boys on the floor.

 

“How the hell did we not hear Hyunjin coming to open the door? We suck at this ‘hiding our presence’ thing.”

  
  
“Jisungie, I told you that you needed to work on your sneaking skills.”

  
  
“Hey, dumbass, you’re lying here on the floor with me!”

 

“Sorry to interrupt your little argument but were the two of you eavesdropping on our conversation?” Now it was Changbin’s turn to be indignant with rage as he scowled at the rogues with distaste. 

 

“I wouldn’t say we were eavesdropping. We just happened to be passing the door and leaned up against it, with our ears, to rest. Nothing more.” Jisung tried to look as nonchalant as possible while twiddling his thumbs but Minho knew from the look on Changbin’s face that they were in for a world of hurt. 

 

“You need to run.”

 

“What?”

  
  
“If you want to live, Jisung, you need to start running.” Before Jisung could ask Changbin what he meant a second time, Minho was up and sprinting out of the room, with Jisung following shortly afterwards. 

 

After hearing Jisung screaming at the thought of imminent death, Chan quickly ran into the hallway, asking Changbin if everything was alright. “Oh, it will be hyung, once I get my hands on those two.” Chan returned to his room, shouting that he didn’t actually want to know what had just happened between all of them. 

 

* * *

 

Claps of thunder echoed through the air as the rain came pouring down. Even though this type of weather would usually deter people from venturing outside, the appeal of the tournament overcame people’s caution as crowds made their way towards the stadium in which the event would be held. All of the boys followed suit and fell in behind those en route to the arena. Jisung bounced up and down beside Minho as the thought of competing finally hit him and he became even more ecstatic than he usually was, while Changbin remained calm as he walked beside him. 

 

Hyunjin held the same kind of energy as Jisung but he tried to calm himself once he realised that Seungmin was being unusually quiet. The Illusionist was always more introverted than the rest of the group but the fact that he hadn’t said anything since this morning concerned Hyunjin slightly. 

 

“Minnie, everything alright?”

 

A shaky breath left Seungmin’s mouth before Hyunjin grabbed his hand. “Uh, yeah, yeah, I guess. I know I was the one who volunteered to compete but now I’m starting to think that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.”   
  


“Hey, what are you talking about? You’ve trained so hard for this.  _ We’ve  _ trained so hard for this. What’s with the sudden change in opinion?” Hyunjin had allowed himself to fall to the back of the group with Seungmin, in case the younger boy didn’t want the others to hear what he was about to say. 

 

“Maybe you were right. Maybe I’m not strong enough for this. There are so many people here, all with different classes and I’m sure they’ve had a lot more time to perfect their abilities. I don’t want to embarrass you for pairing up with someone like me.” There is was again, Seungmin slandering himself and Hyunjin hated it. “Plus, the way those two guys looked at me at the registration yesterday just made me think that, when everyone else sees me, they’ll look at me like that too. I know that Siwan is...gone but surely he’s not the only person like that out there. What if someone else sees me and tries to take me like Siwan did…” 

 

Trauma was a difficult thing to deal with. It wasn’t something that disappeared overnight, the effects were long lasting and Hyunjin rattled his brain to try and figure out a way to comfort the younger boy. Placing his hands on both sides of Seungmin’s face, Hyunjin pulled him in close as he began to whisper. “Minnie, you could never embarrass me, no matter what you do, so don’t ever worry about that. Even if we come in last place, it doesn’t matter. The main point of competing is to test out our skills and have some fun and that’s it. If we manage to place, then that would be great but that’s not our main objective here. Secondly, I told you before, we will  _ never  _ let anybody take you or Innie away from us. You’re safe with us, you’re safe with me, so just relax and try to enjoy taking part in the competition, ok? 

 

Only when Seungmin’s face began to feel hot beneath his fingertips did Hyunjin realise how close he had pulled the other boy’s face towards his. Quickly letting go, Hyunjin stumbled backwards, bumping into a passerby before bowing in apology. 

 

“O-ok, I won’t worry about it anymore. Thanks, Jinnie.” Seungmin rolled his shoulders as his eyes wandered everywhere around him, fingers dancing to no particular rhythm. Hyunjin realised that he had probably unintentionally embarrassed the boy with his actions and internally cursed himself for his imperative need to be closer to the other. Feeling that his behaviour required him to apologise, he opened his mouth to speak but was swiftly cut off by Seungmin’s hand as it grasped his own, ushering him along to follow the group which had walked on ahead. 

 

All of them thanked Woojin for calling them slightly earlier than they usually would have woken up due to the fact that the pedestrian traffic was much worse than they had anticipated. The group still managed to arrive at the arena with time to spare and searched for the group of young men that they had been introduced to the previous night. It wasn’t long before they found, or rather heard, who they were looking for. Gathered around Bambam and Yugyeom, all of the older boys hollered at them; excited praises and playful insults meshing together as the two boys laughed at their hyungs. 

 

After a few moments of conversation, a rather loud announcement was made, calling for all competitors to enter the training ground to go over the rules of the tournament before beginning. The spectators moved to the stands as they took their seats, waiting for the games to start. Minho couldn’t help but notice the way both Chan and Woojin fidgeted in their seats, obviously concerned about the well being of their kids, which made both him and Felix sigh at the protectiveness the two oldest boys held over the others. 

 

“Channie hyung, Woojinnie hyung, they will be fine. They’ve all been training really hard for this. I can’t speak for Hyunjin and Seungmin since I didn’t see very much of their preparation but Jisung and Changbin are totally ready for this. They’re all really strong, so you shouldn’t worry so much about them, have a little faith.” Upon hearing Minho’s reassurances, both boys realised that they hadn’t even intentionally been fretting over the four boys, it was just ingrained within them at this stage. They tried to sit still, holding each other’s hand to comfort both themselves and the other. 

 

In the training area, a booming voice read out the rules to the competitors. Jisung leaned on Changbin, showing the older boy that he was becoming bored while listening to the long list of rules being called out to them. 

 

“This is a non-lethal competition. Of course, you may use physical and magical attacks towards your opponents, however, if you are seen to be intentionally harming people in a malicious way, you will automatically be disqualified. Also if any physical confrontation takes place outside of the designated fighting area, those involved will lose their right to compete.” Seungmin nodded his head, playing with the arrows that had been assigned to him since he couldn’t use regular ones. These wouldn’t pierce his opponent’s skin but simply cause them enough pain for them to be effective. 

 

“If you are all ready, you may make your way to the arena.” Hyunjin glanced at the other contenders, guessing that there must be around a hundred people here, which was slightly less than he was expecting. Then again, he thought about the others in his group not wanting to compete and realised a vast majority of people would probably be of the same mindset. A week may have also been too short notice for some people to make it to the capital city to take part in the event. He had heard from Jinyoung that the tournament would be broadcast all over Phantasm for those who couldn’t travel to Morthan to see it for themselves. 

 

The Alchemist’s blood suddenly ran cold when he spotted a familiar face amongst the crowd of competitors. The snarl that left his mouth startled Seungmin, who jumped slightly at the noise.

 

“Jinnie, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

 

A small hiss of air fell through Hyunjin’s gritted teeth. Seungmin could tell that Hyunjin wasn’t simply mad, he was livid. “I told you about my time in Phantasm when we were in Aquiria, remember?” Seungmin nodded to show the older boy that he had but reeled back slightly when he saw the look of pure hatred in place of the Hyunjin’s usual playful smile. 

 

“I mentioned that Lix had been shot by our former leader and that he had only lived because Changbin hyung had been there to heal him. Well, he’s here, he’s competing in the tournament.” Seungmin now understood why Hyunjin’s face was contorted by rage and began to search the crowd for the man Hyunjin was speaking about. He noticed a bald man staring right at them with a malicious smile gracing his lips. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was Seunghyun, the man who had caused Hyunjin and Felix so much pain. 

 

“If there are any sort of gods out there, they’ll let me go up against that prick in a fight. I need to punch that fucking grin off of his face.” Seungmin had never seen Hyunjin like this before and if he was being honest with himself, it scared him a little. The Hyunjin he knew was sweet and kind and caring but the boy standing in front of him now only saw red as he planned his revenge. However, the younger boy knew that he was only acting this way because his best friend had almost been killed by this psychopath. Seungmin also knew that if Jeongin had been in Felix’s place, he would most certainly be having the same reaction. 

 

Grabbing Hyunjin’s shoulders and directing his gaze away from the glowering man, he forced the older boy to meet his eyes. “ _ ‘The main point of competing is to test our skills and some have fun.’  _ Isn’t that what you said? Jinnie, breathe for me, ok?” 

 

Hyunjin did as instructed and inhaled deeply through his nose, letting a heavy sigh fall from his mouth immediately after. Once the rigid tension vanished from his body, he slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Seungmin, whose face garnered a worried expression. “Jinnie, I know what this guy did to Felix was unforgivable and if we do face him, we will beat him without question but do  _ not  _ let your anger control you. It will cloud your judgement on the difference between right and wrong and I’d hate to see you do something you regret. Felix is alright now, yeah? So don’t let this guy ruin what we’ve trained for. We can do this.”

 

Hyunjin stared in awe of the red headed boy in front of him. He knew exactly what needed to be said to make him calm down after seeing his former boss. Knowing each other for just over a week, Hyunjin felt that Seungmin had already figured out which buttons he needed to press to get Hyunjin to snap back to reality and listen to him. He wasn’t quite sure how to thank the younger boy in front of him but he thought a hug would probably suffice. Wrapping his arms around Seungmin’s narrow shoulders, Hyunjin huffed slightly into the younger boy’s neck before speaking. “Of course, Minnie, we can do this. I’m alright, thank you. But you have to make me a promise. If we do go up against him, we have to bring him down with everything we’ve got. Do you think you can do that for me?”

 

Seungmin’s quiet giggle showed Hyunjin that he would have no trouble in agreeing to a request like that and slowly nodded his head. Taking Seungmin’s hand in his own while smiling at the younger boy, Hyunjin made his way out into the open topped arena with the others, leaving Seunghyun and his partner behind. The heavy rain made its way towards the middle of the stadium, causing a small pool of water to form there. Cheers erupted from the crowds as the boys walked through the entrance. While there had been maybe a hundred people competing, there were thousands in the stands. No matter how much Jisung looked around, he couldn’t see the others from his group but thought that this was probably for the best or they could end up distracting him. 

 

Once they were all lined up in a straight row, they waited until they were instructed on what to do. All of the competitors, as well as most of the spectators, were getting a little antsy while having to wait to begin but before the anxiety could rise any further, static filled the air and green flecks began to form a figure of a person in front of them. Nobody was quite sure if this was supposed to be occurring or not but soon came to the conclusion that this was all part of the initiation ceremony. Once the person in front have them had become fully formed, the man began to speak in a calm yet unsettling voice. Seungmin thought that what made this person even more unnerving was the fact that the man didn’t have a fully formed face. Bright blue hair fell over his forehead, though it did nothing to obscure his vision since his eyes were nowhere to be found. Gaping sockets stared back at all of them, making Hyunjin squirm at the intense feeling that his soul was being gawked at. 

 

“Welcome, everyone, to the grand tournament being held here in the capital city of Morthan. We hope that it will be an enjoyable experience for both those taking part and those watching from all around the world.” The man gestured towards the cameras being directed at him, as if speaking to the crowd that was currently watching him. “Ninety six of you have entered the competition, forty eight pairs will fight to be crowned the most powerful group in Phantasm!” 

 

Hoots and whistles were captured in the air as they left the crowd’s mouth. Even the sound of the falling rain couldn’t drown out the excited noise that made its way down to the competitors. “By the end of today, half of these teams will be eliminated with only twenty four left standing. Each match will last no longer than ten minutes and the end of the match will be called after that amount of time. If no clear winner is decided during the battle, the judges will decide based on how the match progressed.” The ghostly man gestured to the stands where three others, similar to himself sat, empty sockets glaring at the crowd. “The tournament will last five days, so we hope that you will not be too exhausted to carry on fighting.” The smile the man threw towards the boys held no sympathy or comfort, just heavy expectations. 

 

“Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the announcement of prizes. The top three competitors will receive rewards for their participation, so we anticipate that you will all try your best to succeed.” Everyone waited with baited breath to hear what kind of trophies the winners would be taking home. 

 

“Third place will receive no less than seventy five thousand gold coins.” Jisung’s jaw dropped at the mention of the vast amount of money, Changbin hitting his cheek as an indicator to close his open mouth. 

 

“Second place will receive a vial of Jinsei no Erikusā.” Murmurs of astonishment filled the stadium as Chan looked around him at the sound. 

 

“Woojinnie, what is that? Why is everyone so amazed?” 

 

“I’ve only ever heard stories about it, I didn’t think it was actually real. Apparently, it’s a potion that can bring someone who has been killed back to life. It can only work after the first hour after death and I always thought that it was a myth but the fact that they’re offering it as a prize must mean that it’s real. If that’s second prize then I’m interested to see what they do for first place.” Woojin looked on eagerly, still holding onto Chan’s hand from earlier. 

 

“And for the most anticipated moment, the announcement of the first place award.” Everyone moved forward in their seats, listening intently to the man.

 

“One, and only one of the members from the winning team will be able to avail of the prize.” All of the competitors looked towards each other, the thought of only one person in their group being rewarded for being the strongest team in Phantasm was not very appealing to many of them. 

 

“I know it may seem unfair but this is how we have decided to progress. One of the members of the winning team will be allowed to venture into the outside world without going through the Fortress. In other words, they will be allowed to leave Phantasm forever.”


	17. The language of friendship is not words but meanings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occurs to me that this chapter marks four months since I've started posting this story. That's crazy! But thank you to all of you who have stuck with it and who have found it along the way. Anyways, not too much of an angsty chapter this week, take what you can get while you get it! Enjoy!

One would think in a stadium filled with thousands of people, that there would be an abundant amount of excitement and noise but after the announcement of the prizes for the winner of the tournament, all that filled the air was a stony silence. Heavy breaths left the mouths of those staring at the spectral man standing in front of them after he had spoken of what was up for grabs for the victor. After the initial shock had slowly passed, confused murmurs left the stands as the spectators were unsure as to whether or not they had heard correctly.

 

“Did that guy just say that one of the winners could leave Phantasm? That’s what he said, right?” Though Minho had spoken, nobody immediately replied, their eyes still glued to the man in front of them.

 

“There has to be a catch, they wouldn’t just let one of us go, not after they went through the trouble of putting us in here in the first place.” Jaebum had finally snapped out of the momentary stupor after the declaration and tried to make sense of the situation.

 

Woojin glanced around him at the crowd and was slightly worried that a riot could break out after hearing the harsh whispers coming from the onlookers.

 

“This is why they didn’t announce the prizes earlier.”

 

“They were afraid that everyone would want to join the tournament.”

 

“This is completely unfair, I would have entered if I knew what was at stake.”

 

In the arena, Changbin glanced towards Jisung, who was already staring back at him, brows furrowed in confusion. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing. They actually had a chance to get out of this place and all they had to do was get through a few rounds of battle. After their training sessions with Minho, they had been confident about their chances but after hearing about the prize for first place, they knew that all of the competitors standing beside them would be putting their best foot forward.

 

“I think a lot of people are pissed that only one of us can get out of here but when we do, we can go and call for help. It doesn’t really matter who wins out of all of the teams, the winner can contact someone that could come to save us, right?” Hyunjin glanced towards the two boys, bringing Seungmin to stand closer to all of them as they spoke.

 

“Maybe this is just me but all of this seems far too easy.” They all looked towards Seungmin, who was glaring back at the announcer, a harrowing smile gracing his lips as he watched the hysteria unfold in front of him.

 

“What do you mean, Seungmin?”

 

“I mean, we have no idea how they will go about freeing the winner. Will they take them somewhere before they transport them back to the real world? How do we know that they won’t just imprison them or kill them instead? Even if the person does manage to get back to the real world, the people who run this place will be waiting on the other side. We don’t know what they’ll do to them once they get there. Why would they allow someone to leave and expose what they have been doing to us? It just seems too easy and I don’t like it.”

 

Hyunjin knew, as well as the rest of the group, that Seungmin had problems when it came to trusting authority figures, like he had with Joomi but they couldn’t help but share in the younger boy’s skepticism once he had explained his reasoning. They had absolutely no reason to trust the people running this game and the fact that they were trying to pit not only teams against each other but people within the same unit, showed how twisted they actually were. Hyunjin could already see partners beginning to think about how they could betray each other to be the one who could leave the virtual world.

 

“Yes, you have all heard correctly, one of the winners will be allowed to return to the real world and we assure you that we will not interfere with them in any way once they have returned to the other side. We chose this prize in the hopes of giving all of you a bit more incentive to fight with all that you have.” The blood curdling laugh that left that man’s mouth did not match the feelings of humor that he was trying to convey.

 

Nobody in the ring was quite sure how to process the information as their eyes searched the empty air for answers. The chance of freedom from this world was more than a little enticing for most.

 

“Now, everyone, please turn your attention towards the screen to view the matchups for the first round of the tournament that will take place today!” A blue screen buzzed to life, pictures of all contestants being sorted into a table that pitted them against each other. Just before they had entered the arena, all of them had been asked to draw lots to see who their opponents would be. Jisung and Changbin had drawn a beige sphere with the number four on it, showing that they would be one of the first teams to compete. Hyunjin and Seungmin, on the other hand, had drawn twenty, indicating that they would be one of the last.

 

Glancing at the screen, Jisung tried to make out the names of their opponents. _Xu Minghao and Wen Junhui._ Nothing except the boy’s names and pictures were given and this made Changbin think that none of the classes were going to be revealed so that a bit of mystery would still remain to make the fights more interesting, at least for the first round before everyone figured out what exact class their opponents were.

 

“They don’t look all that tough. I think we can probably take them. Right, hyung?” Jisung’s overflowing confidence made the Medic smirk.

 

“As much as I appreciate your faith in our abilities, you should know at this stage that you can’t judge someone on their appearance. If you saw Jeongin’s picture up there, you would say that he was just a kid, that he wouldn’t be able to fight like we can but if you think of what he’s really capable of, you would be in for a pretty big wake up call.” Jisung grabbed his chin, bobbing it up and down at Changbin’s reasoning.  

 

Hyunjin mouthed the names of his opponents as he read them off of the monitor. “Lalisa Manoban and Park Chaeyoung. Wow, they kinda look like they could snap my neck. Better be careful I guess.”

 

“Well, everyone, let’s begin! The two teams who have drawn number one may stay in the ring. Everyone else, please make your way back inside where you will be able to watch the rest of the matches with your opponents.” The teams were quickly ushered back inside as the four members of the first match remained in the arena.

 

The four boys found a vacant corner in the waiting area and closely huddled together while waiting for the first match to begin.

 

“Well, at least we weren’t put up against each other in the first match. That would have been bad...for you guys, that is.” Hyunjin scoffed at Jisung’s mild threats before playfully punching him in the arm.

 

“You think that you can beat us? We’re like a well oiled machine. Perfectly prepared for predetermined pillory.”

 

“Nice alliteration, man.”

  
  
“Thank you but seriously, Minnie and I are going to wipe the floor with all of our opponents. You have no idea what we’re capable of.” Puffing out his chest and placing his arm around Seungmin’s shoulders, Hyunjin smiled at the unimpressed Thief and Medic, who simply stared back at him.

 

“Yeah, yeah, sure you are. Hey, look, it’s starting.” Changbin pointed to the screen placed in front of them as they marvelled at the fight beginning to take place. Everyone watched the matches with great interest. The first two matches were over rather quickly, the victors waving happily at the crowd and bowing.

 

“Group three, you’re up!” Changbin glanced over to Bambam and Yugyeom who had pulled the number three out of the lots earlier. He grinned slightly at his friends, mouthing a ‘good luck’ before they entered the ring. Bambam gave the Medic two thumbs up, obviously thinking that, even though they were thankful for Changbin’s encouragement, they would more than likely not need it. Changbin watched them disappear through the doors to take their place in the middle of the arena.

 

“I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t think that I’d ever see you in a place like this, Hyunjin.” Four pairs of eyes flew towards the deep voice that emanated from Seunghyun, who had place himself directly behind the Alchemist. Hyunjin stared the man down, Seungmin’s hand grasping his wrist as an indication not to get caught up in the anger now bubbling up inside of him. Hyunjin turned back around, ignoring the passive aggressive comments being thrown towards him, obviously trying to rile him up.

 

“So, did your little friend make it through in the end? He was hurt pretty badly, right? I mean, I know for certain that I didn’t hit his heart but the amount of blood was pretty severe-”

 

“You want to get the fuck out of here? We’re not interested in talking to you.” Seunghyun’s glare advanced towards Jisung, who seemed to be just as agitated as Hyunjin had been upon seeing the man again.

 

“Ah, the little mouse that we found spying on us. You seem to be doing a lot better since last we spoke. Oh, and the irritating Medic who was on your team is here too. Hyunjin, you started travelling with them after you lost Felix, eh? Surprising turn of events, I must say. How do you put up with him though?” Seunghyun directed the question towards Changbin and Jisung, still sitting on the floor beside Hyunjin, their faces conveying their feelings of distaste towards the man who had put their friends through so much suffering. “He was always a wimp, too scared to do anything worthwhile for our group but that little coward he was with was _so_ much worse. Couldn’t even summon a little beast. Absolutely pathetic. Not that it matters now. Did he die slowly? Was it really painful to watch, Hyunjin?”

 

Changbin leapt up, flaring nostrils indicating how much he wanted to beat the smug man to a pulp before quickly being dragged back down by Jisung. The younger boy shook his head, showing the Medic that if he attacked Seunghyun here, then he would be giving him exactly what he wanted: all of them getting eliminated from the competition. Hyunjin was also doing everything in his power not to jump up and attack the man, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth as he endured the pain that rippled throughout his chest. It didn’t matter that the whole situation had turned out well or that he had found the perfect group to travel with; the overwhelming feelings of that day began to resurface once again.

 

“Felix is fine. He’s in the stands with everybody else watching the tournament. Don’t worry about him.” Seunghyun recoiled slightly as he hadn’t noticed that Seungmin had come to stand beside him.

 

“Huh, you weren’t with their little group the last time.” The man looked Seungmin up and down, laughing at the boy’s small frame and innocent appearance. “Please don’t tell me that you’re Hyunjin’s partner. Seriously kid, you really do go for the little weaklings, don’t you?” he spat at Hyunjin.

 

“I’m Kim Seungmin. I’ve heard so much about you, it’s nice to finally put a face to the name.” Seungmin extended his hand for the man to shake. Hyunjin, Jisung and Changbin looked to the younger boy with disbelief and slight concern; unable to discern why Seungmin was being so pleasant towards the horrid man.

  
“Doesn’t look like you’re very bright either. Can you not read the situation, Seungmin? I don’t think your friends are very happy to see me.” Seunghyun stared at Seungmin’s hand as it was still being held out for him to grab, which he eventually complied with. Seunghyun wavered a little when he felt the firm grasp now placed around his hand before looking up to Seungmin, who was still smiling brightly towards him. The man grimaced at the strange boy before a small movement caught his eye and he felt a cool sensation rising up his arm. Upon looking down to investigate the cause, he screamed loudly when he saw a rather large snake emerging from Seungmin’s sleeve and coiling itself around his forearm. Seunghyun struggled harshly but Seungmin wasn’t going to let go of his hand without a fight.

 

“It’s a tiger snake, extremely venomous and originates in Australia which, coincidentally, is where Felix is from as well.” The sparkling smile hadn’t budged from Seungmin’s lips as he explained exactly what his illusion was, though the other man didn’t need to know that it wasn’t real, not yet.

 

Just before the snake managed to make its way to Seunghyun’s neck and seep its fangs deep into the man’s jugular, it disappeared. Many of the other contestants were now staring at the two males, who were still holding hands after Seungmin’s greeting. Seunghyun suddenly came back to reality after his mild panic attack, before looking to the young boy that had caused it.

 

“Yeah, it was just an illusion but I thought letting you figure that out by yourself would be a lot more interesting. If you _ever_ hurt my friends again, if you even come near them again, I will scratch your eyes out. Jisung told you to fuck off earlier, I suggest you heed his advice. Have a nice day, Seunghyun and good luck in the tournament. I hope we can eventually go up against each other.” Seungmin finally eased his vice like grip on the man’s hand and made his way back to his gobsmacked friends, quickly sitting down beside them once again.

 

Seunghyun did his best to compose himself as he glared at Seungmin, whose back was now turned towards him. “Little bastard, I won’t forget about this.” With one last look towards Hyunjin, the man stormed off, pushing his way through the crowd of people now staring at him, laughing slightly at his overreaction during the face-off.

 

Once Seungmin had settled himself on the ground again, he coughed lowly before looking to the others who were gawking at him with wide eyes, mouths hanging open. “You were right, Jinnie. He is a prick.” Nobody said anything as Seungmin went on to shyly stare at the ground while playing with his fingers, suddenly becoming very conscious of the stares now situated upon him.

 

“Seungmin, you are fucking terrifying and I love it!” Jisung jumped up, only to flop down beside the Illusionist, giving him the tightest hug he could muster, which caused Seungmin to laugh giddily and return the bone crushing embrace. Changbin looked to Hyunjin and began to cackle hysterically at both the look on the Alchemist’s face and the variety of events that had just occurred in front of them. Being so caught up in the startling episode, none of the boys noticed that the match between Bambam and Yugyeom was already over.

 

* * *

 

 

“The winners of round three are Kim Yugyeom and Bambam. A round of applause for both of the teams.” Loud roars came from the stands as everyone congratulated the two young men on their success.

 

“Wow, they’re really good, huh? They seemed to know exactly what moves their opponents were going to make before they even made them.” Jeongin stared in awe of the two now making their way towards the back.

 

“They’ve been training together for nearly six months. That kind of time together certainly allowed them to become close. I may be biased but I agree with you, they are really good.” Jaebum smiled proudly at his younger members, who took a mere two and a half minutes to finish the fight. “Looks like it’s your turn to be proud of your members.”

 

“Woo! Come on, Changbin!”

 

“You can do it, Jisungie!”

 

Chan and Woojin hollered excitedly at the members as they made their way towards the middle of the arena, followed by two others, who the boys assumed were their opponents. The two oldest boys were no longer fretting over the well being of Jisung and Changbin, excitement taking over instead but they couldn’t help but notice another two were worrying about them in their place. Felix’s leg bobbed uncontrollably, with Minho subconsciously biting on his knuckles.

 

“Uh, boys, are the two of you alright?” Both Minho and Felix looked at Chan, who was grinning playfully towards them. Felix scrunched his nose up, placing a hand on his knee to stop it from bouncing up and down. Minho straightened himself, trying to hide the teeth marks now present on his fingers from the pressure he had put on them. No verbal replies came but Chan figured that they were trying to calm themselves down after being called out.

 

“Match number four. Han Jisung and Seo Changbin versus Xu Minghao and Wen Junhui. Fighters, take your places.” Jisung noticed that both males in front of him possessed rather large broadswords, which they were slowly removing from their backs. Jisung knew that they would be some sort of class that was similar to Chan or Bambam if they possessed weapons like that. Changbin, on the other hand, felt something that made the white energy inside of him react.

 

“Hyung, they seem to be Knights. You got anything else?” Jisung asked the older male, his eyes never leaving his opponents.

 

“They possess dark energy, I can feel it. Two Dark Knights from the looks of it.”

 

“Both of them? Well, this shouldn’t take too long then.” Changbin laughed at Jisung’s confidence before holding out his fist, with the younger boy bumping it with his own shortly afterwards.

 

“Begin!”

 

It wasn’t long before Minghao and Junhui were running towards the two boys, weapons in hand. A black haze enveloped both swords as they dragged along the ground behind them. Changbin began to focus on trying to diffuse the young men’s dark energy with his holy magic. Soft wisps of air flew around the Medic as his white magic came into play, before a blinding light flew outwards towards everyone in the arena. Though it was only supposed to affect the two men standing in front of them, Jeongin couldn’t help but feel something shift inside of him once Changbin had cast his spell. It wasn’t a particularly unpleasant sensation, Jeongin rather welcomed the feeling, like his soul was being cleansed of all negative energy.

 

As Changbin performed his duties, Jisung began his show of distracting his opponents so that they wouldn’t harm his teammate. Dancing around the men, who had become befuddled at the sudden loss of their dark energy, he tried his best to basically annoy them enough that they would forget about Changbin, who was focused on keeping their energy concealed.

 

Junhui tried to calm himself and regain his abilities but Minghao had already managed to do that and placed a firm arm out to his side, Jisung running into it almost immediately and slipping slightly due to the impact. Quickly grabbing his sword, Minghao swung it towards Jisung, who swiftly moved out of the way but still managed to get nicked on the arm in the process.

 

At the small cry of pain that Jisung let go, Minho automatically jumped to his feet, though he knew he could do nothing to help the younger boy. He was slowly guided back down by Jeongin, who patted his hyung’s hand to comfort his uneasy heart.

 

Jisung had decided that he was tired of constantly slipping up in battle, causing one of his teammates to lose their focus or stop whatever they were doing to come and help him. Regaining his stance at lightning speed, Jisung began to move as quickly as he had been before he got hurt. He dashed around Minghao, hitting him in the throat, the middle of his chest and the side of his head; all of the easy-access, vital pressure points that Minho had shown him during their training together. This caused Minghao to falter, trying to overcome the overwhelm feeling of dizziness and disorientation that came along with being struck. Preying on his time of distress, Jisung dislodged Minghao’s weapon from his hand, quickly twisting his arm behind him and pushing the young man to the ground; immediately placing one of his Daggers in front of his throat.

 

Upon seeing his friend being incapacitated, Junhui quickly made a move towards his teammate but didn’t get very far before his legs were wiped from under him, causing him to come crashing down beside Minghao; Changbin’s staff being firmly placed between his shoulder blades to deter him from making any further attempts to rise from the ground.

 

“The match is complete. Han Jisung and Seo Changbin are the victors of round four!” the referee called out before screams of praise filled the air.

 

Jisung and Changbin looked to the timer on the wall which read 9:37. They sighed in relief, having only completed their match with twenty three seconds to spare.

 

“Yeah, Jisungie, way to go!”

 

“ I knew you could do it, Changbinnie hyung!”

 

Felix and Minho were on their feet before anyone else, shouting at the other boys’ victory, which earned them sly glances from the others sitting around them. Upon seeing their stares, the two boys quietened themselves before slowly falling back into their seats, mumbling something similar to ‘shut up’ and ‘stop looking at me like that’.

 

* * *

 

Backstage, Hyunjin and Seungmin leapt into the air upon hearing their friends being declared the victors.

 

“Wah, Jisungie has learned some new moves. I’ve never seen him attack someone like that before. That little snake has somehow managed to become faster than he already was. That’s going to be a problem if we end up going up against them.” Hyunjin tapped his chin thoughtfully, already trying to think of a way to slow Jisung down.

 

“Heh, if we manage to get past the first round”

 

“Minnie, I thought we already discussed this.”

 

“You’re right, you’re right. We’re here to test our abilities and have fun, I know.” Seungmin forced a smile to appear on his face, obviously trying to mask the anxiety playing up inside of him.

 

Hyunjin eventually looked away from the screen where the fifth team were already in the middle of their bout. “Minnie, what is this whole thing about not having any confidence in yourself? And it’s not just about the tournament either. Back at the beach, you were so sure that I didn’t want to be around you, like you weren’t worth it. Why do you keep talking about yourself like that?”

 

Seungmin became slightly confounded after being called out on what was clearly a touchy subject for him. “I don’t want to talk about this, Jinnie, not now.”

 

“Minnie, come on, it’s me. You know you can tell me anything-”

 

“Seriously, Hyunjin, I said I don’t want to talk about it.” The Alchemist knew to drop the subject when Seungmin no longer called him by the nickname he had become so used to hearing.

 

“Ok, I won’t ask again but if you ever want to talk about it, I’m always around. So are the other guys. If it’s me you have a problem with, they’re always willing to listen to you too.”

 

“It’s not you, Hyunjin, it’s just a bit of a sore subject. So, can we just drop it for the moment and focus on the competition?” Seungmin was no longer looking at the older boy but rather, had his eyes firmly set on the screen where the sixth teams were already getting ready to fight.

 

“Sure, absolutely. Just focus on the match, I can do that. It’s nice to know that you don’t have a problem with me though.”

 

“Well, you can be a little annoying. And loud. And bossy. And you like to get really up close in people’s faces-”

 

“Ah! I didn’t mean any problems in general! I just meant that you don’t have a problem talking to me! Christ, talk about going in for the kill.” Seungmin seemed to have shrugged off the momentary melancholy as he began to laugh at Hyunjin’s unamused expression, before quickly placing his head against the older boy’s shoulder.

 

“Thanks, Jinnie. I promise I’ll talk to you about all of this eventually. Just give me some time, ok?” Seungmin snuggled into Hyunjin’s shoulder, almost looking as if he was about to fall asleep, which he eventually did, the excitement of the day getting the better of him. Hyunjin brushed the soft, wavy locks away from where they fell in front of the boy’s glasses that had begun to slide down his nose.

 

The warmth radiating off of Seungmin was matched only by the heat beginning to rise up inside of Hyunjin’s chest. He huffed, blowing his own dark hair out of his eyes as he began to wonder if Felix would tease him about Seungmin the way that he had teased the younger boy about his feelings for Changbin. Though, he hoped he wasn’t as obvious as the two other boys when it came to the sensitive topic.

 

The Alchemist accepted that he was a protective person, looking out not only for those who were younger in the group but trying to help the older boys in any way that he could as well. He cared greatly for all of his friends but Hyunjin had recently come to realise that his feelings towards the boy now sleeping on his shoulder were not simply what is felt for a friend but something more. He now understood why Felix was so sure that Changbin wouldn’t feel anything towards him, as Hyunjin was now having those same worries regarding himself and Seungmin.

 

Jisung and Changbin eventually made their way back to the waiting room, where Hyunjin greeted them with a wide smile and two thumbs up, congratulating his friends on the win. Jisung motioned to the sleeping Seungmin, asking if he was alright, slight worry taking over his usually bright features. After telling the two boys that he had simply worked himself up too much, they relaxed and sat beside Hyunjin, engaging in quiet conversation as they tried not to wake the snoozing boy. Only when the seventeenth team made their way into the arena did Hyunjin wake Seungmin up, as he didn’t want the younger boy to be too discombobulated when they made their own way into the ring. Seungmin apologized profusely for falling asleep on top of him, which Hyunjin hurriedly brushed off, saying that he didn’t mind at all. After the nineteenth team had completed their fight, Hyunjin held out a hand to tug the Illusionist up from the ground, before the butterflies began to take flight inside both of their stomachs.

 

“We watch each other’s backs. We look out for one another. I don’t want either of us to come out of this getting hurt or with any regrets. We’re here to…” Hyunjin nudged Seungmin for the younger boy to finish his sentence.

 

“...test our abilities and have fun and that’s it. Ok, Jinnie, I got it.” Seungmin automatically grabbed Hyunjin’s hand to comfort himself, as he had become so used to doing.

 

“You guys are going to kick ass. Show those drop dead gorgeous girls what you’re made of!” Jisung had reverted back to his loud self now that Seungmin had woken up.

 

“I think Minho hyung would be awfully jealous if he heard you talking about others like that.” Changbin coughed slightly with his comment, glancing at the younger boy from the corner of his eye.

 

“Ha, I would hope that he was- uh, w-why? Why would you think that he would be jealous? What possible reason would he have to be jealous about me calling some girls pretty? That doesn’t make any sense, hyung…” Changbin raised his eyebrows towards Hyunjin and Seungmin, like he had been trying to prove a point about Jisung’s feelings for Minho. The two boys simply laughed at the Thief’s reaction since Jisung wasn’t looking at any of them, obviously trying to hide the color now climbing up his neck.

 

Seungmin and Hyunjin eventually made their way out of the exit doors towards the middle of the arena. Once he saw the crowds again, Seungmin’s stomach did a small backflip, the thought of failing in front of all of these people gnawing away at his insecurities. He quickly steadied himself, thinking about the reassurances that Hyunjin had constantly been showering him with since they had met. He wasn’t sure if he had adequately shown it but he was extremely grateful towards the older boy for his kind words.

 

“Round twenty. Park Chaeyoung and Lalisa Manoban versus Hwang Hyunjin and Kim Seungmin. Fighters, take your places.”

 

Though most of the matches had begun with a tense stare down between the two teams, Hyunjin was always up for making new friends as he began to greet the two girls now standing in front of him, who chuckled slightly before returning the salutation.

 

“Uh, Jinnie, you do realize that these girls are our competition, right? You don’t have to be so friendly towards them.”

 

“I know but that doesn’t mean I can’t say hello to them. Nothing wrong with being pleasant, is there?”

 

“Begin!”

 

Neither boys had time to register what was happening before Seungmin realized that he could no longer move. Constricting vines were slowly making their way up his legs, rooting him to the ground. “Um, Hyunjin?!”

 

Hyunjin had barely turned to face Seungmin when he felt his waist suddenly become a lot lighter, soon realizing that the bag in which he kept all of his bombs had been taken away from him. Lalisa grinned playfully, swinging Hyunjin’s leather bag in front of his eyes before taking her place back beside her partner. “Well, this poses a bit of a problem. A Thief and a Druid, huh?”

 

Chaeyoung’s hands remained outstretched as she kept her vines securely around Seungmin’s legs, causing him to panic slightly and become unable to focus enough to create his illusions.

 

In the stands, Felix had risen from his seat at the sight of his friends being taken by surprise and already losing the advantage. “C’mon, Jinnie! Seungminnie, you can do this!” The rest of the boys shouted their words of encouragement towards the two in the ring as well but they feared it might already be too late for them.

 

Lalisa dashed forward towards Hyunjin once again, engaging in quick hand to hand combat, which Hyunjin was more than used to since his melee weapon relied on him using his fists but he couldn’t match the speed of the girl in front of him. She quickly knocked the Alchemist down, pushing his face into the gravel that lined the floor of the arena. Upon seeing this, Chaeyoung instantly ran forward, placing Seungmin in a secure headlock before both girls began to laugh at their easy victory over the two boys. Chan jumped up at the obvious rough treatment of the two younger members, though he knew that this was all part of the tournament and something that every group would be prepared for before they entered the ring. Chan didn’t have to pretend that he liked it though. The referee began to make his way towards the center of the ring to call an end to the match after a measly four minutes, before a silvery voice broke the silence.

 

“Wah, we got their asses kicked. So, that’s what we would look like if we weren’t sufficiently prepared for this fight. Damn, that would have been bad, huh?” Everyone scanned around them, Lalisa and Chaeyoung looking more than a little confused at the disembodied voices that fell from the air. Their confusion increased tenfold when the boys they had been holding onto disappeared, only to reappear behind them, completely unharmed while holding hands.

 

“Shit, we were fighting illusions! Chaeyoung!”

 

Before either had a chance to properly react, Hyunjin grabbed a handful of firecrackers from his belt and threw them on the ground underneath the girls. The explosions that soon emanated from beneath their feet caused them to dance around, shouting slightly at the sudden high pitched sound. Seungmin dashed to Hyunjin’s side, detaching a small cube from the Alchemist’s belt and throwing it towards his unfocused opponents. Purple smoke billowed from the invention and filled the air around the Thief and Druid. After about ten seconds of trying to clear the air around them by the frantic waving of their arms, both girls fell to the ground after inhaling the potent sleeping gas that Hyunjin had created the night before.

 

Nobody in the arena was quite sure how to react after watching such a surprising turn of events. Quiet mutterings rose from the crowd as they tried to make sense of the situation.

 

“Is that red head kid an Illusionist?”

 

“Not only that but his partner is an Alchemist? Jeez, talk about a rare team.”

 

Jeongin soon became aware of the fact that nobody was congratulating the two boys on their win, so he began to stand, clapping his hands together furiously while shouting into the open arena. “Hey, way to go Seungmin hyung, Hyunjin hyung! You did great! Woo!”

 

All of the others quickly realised that they had been so caught up in marveling at the two boys and their amazing comeback, that they had forgotten the match was now over, with Seungmin and Hyunjin being victorious. They hurriedly rose to their feet to scream praises towards their friends as well, before the shocked referee cleared his throat and announced the result.

 

“The winners of round twenty are Hwang Hyunjin and Kim Seungmin. Congratulations!” The cheers that erupted from the crowd were the loudest that had been heard all day, including those that were being shouted backstage, mostly thanks to Jisung and Changbin, who were bouncing off of the walls after watching a match with such a distressing beginning.

 

“What the hell happened? Those two girls were fighting illusions the whole time? How did Seungmin manage to do that without any of us noticing? Both of them were invisible? I thought only Seungmin could do that. How was Hyunjin hidden as well?” Changbin didn’t quite know how to answer all of the questions that Jisung was now throwing at him. He didn’t know how they had managed to pull such a victory off. He didn’t know how Seungmin had created illusions of both himself and Hyunjin and managed to conceal themselves so that the illusions would be attacked and not them. He didn’t know that if Seungmin held onto to someone’s hand and concentrated hard enough, he could allow them to become invisible too. At this stage, he really didn’t care. All that mattered was that his friends were safe and had managed to get through their first bout without so much as a scratch.

 

Back in the arena, the two unconscious girls were slowly being carried away, sleepy mumbles falling from their mouths. The cheers continued as Hyunjin ran to Seungmin and lifted him up into the air, his arms placed securely around his middle as he twirled around.

 

“Minnie, we did it! See, I told you that you would have nothing to worry about. You did great!” Hyunjin had placed Seungmin’s feet on the ground once again but hadn’t completely let go of him, his hands finding their way to the other’s slender waist. “I have one question though. How the hell did you know that the cube you pulled off of my belt was the sleeping gas? I have so many bombs, how did you distinguish which one was which?”

 

“When you were making all of them the last couple of nights, you told me what each of them were.”

 

“Yeah, I told you but I didn’t think you’d remember all of them.”

 

“It’s my job to remember. We’re a team after all, right? I know you said we’re only here to test our skills and have fun but after winning the first round, we might as well give it our all to see how far we can go. Don’t you agree?” Hyunjin’s smile after winning became even bigger in seeing that Seungmin was starting to come out of his shell, even if it was just a little bit more. High fiving the Illusionist, both Hyunjin and Seungmin made their way towards the back, where they were greeted by being wrestled to the floor by Jisung, loud exclamations leaving his lips.

 

“My god, you guys were freaking incredible! How did you do that? I didn’t see it coming. It was like watching an action movie with such a huge twist. I’m in awe, you kicked ass, I told you that you would-”

 

“Jisung! Jesus, breathe! And get off of them. I’m sure they want to rest after their match, not get smothered by your ugly ass.” Changbin grabbed the Thief’s hood, eventually managing to drag the hyped up boy off of Seungmin and Hyunjin, who simply lay on the ground choking on their laughter caused by their dramatic friend.

 

The rest of the matches of the day commenced and concluded without any more big surprises. Seunghyun competed in the penultimate match, winning it in just under seven minutes with his teammate. Though, Hyunjin thought that they didn’t act like much of a team, probably due to the fact that Seunghyun had never really been good at taking orders, just giving them. The sight of his former boss winning his bout caused both excitement and disappointment to surge up inside of him. He hated that the crowd was congratulating him for his win, not knowing the sort of man he was but he also couldn’t help but think that every time Seunghyun won, it would be another step closer for Hyunjin to be able to go up against the man that he wanted to face so badly.

 

In the stands, Felix began to feel nauseous upon seeing Seunghyun again, not noticing him until he walked into the ring after the referee called out his name to begin his fight. Woojin and Chan could feel fury flowing throughout their bodies once again, the memory of the day they had met Felix and Hyunjin flying back into their thoughts. Woojin quickly scooted over in his seat as Chan got up and guided Felix to sit in between the two of them. They immediately placed their arms around him to ease his anxiety and let him know that he had nothing to fear. They wouldn’t let Seunghyun anywhere near him but knew that Hyunjin had probably already run into him backstage and been forced to interact with him. They wanted to make sure he was alright after meeting his old boss again but after seeing how well he performed with Seungmin during their match, they knew they probably had nothing to worry about.

 

“And with round twenty four complete, that brings the first day of the tournament to a close. Congratulations to all of the teams who managed to progress to the next round and commiserations to those who failed. We will see you again tomorrow, 12pm sharp, to commence with the second day. May you have a pleasant evening and as always...”

 

“...we hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm. Yeah, yeah, we know,” Minho muttered before standing up to make his way out of the arena to meet up with the others.

 

“Minho hyung?” Jeongin bounced up beside Minho, an elated grin plastered on his face. The older boy couldn’t help but return the smile being thrown at him. He was glad that his time within Siwan’s house hadn’t shattered the young Necromancer’s innocence as he kept walking beside Minho, trying to engage in jubilant conversation. “Did you see the way Hyunjin hyung and Seungmin hyung worked so well together? I mean, I didn’t see that turnaround coming! And Changbin hyung and Jisung hyung, I mean, wow!” Minho barely got a word in edgeways as Jeongin kept marveling at his hyung’s talents before they eventually found them waiting at the gates.

 

“Congrats, guys. You all did great! I’m pretty sure I saw Channie hyung tearing up because of how proud he was of all of you.”

 

“Shut the hell up, Minho, I didn’t cry. Not that much anyway.” Chan scratched his nose after punching Minho firmly in the arm.

 

Jaebum and the others had found Bambam and Yugyeom and began to make their way over to the younger group of boys, applauding them on their win. Felix emerged from the back of the group, the pride of seeing his friends being victorious taking priority above all his other emotions. He wanted to congratulate Changbin on his amazing win but he was knocked back slightly when his older group of friends managed to get there first, patting his arm and complimenting him on how strong he had become since he left them. Felix knew that they were entitled to speak with Changbin first since they had known each other for much longer than he had known the Medic but couldn’t help but feel a little ignored since the older group of boys had made their appearance. Felix liked them, he really did and he marveled at the way the young men took care of and looked out for Changbin but he wished that he could have had two minutes with the older boy, alone. He edged backwards before turning around and walking away.

 

“Lix! Hey! Where are you going?” Felix spun back around at the mention of his name as he saw Changbin sprinting towards him. He came to a stop in front of the younger boy, grasping his hands as he smiled. “So, what did you think of the match? Did I do alright?”

 

Felix knew he was being selfish when he wanted Changbin all to himself but he couldn’t help it, especially when the older boy was standing in front of him like this, providing him with his full attention. “You did great, hyung, just like I knew you would. I never doubted you for a second.”

 

“Changbin, come on! We’re all going to eat. Let’s go!” Jinyoung called on the Medic to join them as they walked towards the bar they had visited last night. Changbin released Felix’s hands, causing a small sigh to fall from the boy’s lips. He had barely gotten to spend any time with Changbin in the last couple of days and the fact that it had made such a difference to him showed how much time they had actually spent together since they had met.

 

“Uh, Jinyoung hyung, you go on ahead. I’ll catch up.” Felix looked up as Changbin linked arms with him and slowly started walking after the group of older boys. “Apparently, when I was speaking with Mark hyung last night, he told me at one point, I completely ignored you and shrugged you off. I didn’t even realise I did that. I was just so happy to see them again that I think I subconsciously just paid attention to them. I’m really sorry, Lix. I hope you know I would never intentionally do something like that to you.”

 

Felix did know this and the fact that Changbin was owning up to it seemed to extinguish the slight dolefulness that was playing up inside of him. Placing his head on the other boy’s shoulder as they walked, Felix grinned when he felt Changbin’s grasp tighten even further around his arm. “I know, hyung and it’s ok. I just feel I haven’t seen you very much in the last couple of days. I miss spending time with you.”

 

Changbin wanted to pull Felix in close, closer that he already was but the younger boy seemed to be comfortable lying on his shoulder and didn't want to disturb him as they walked down the street filled with people returning from the tournament. Since Aquiria, Changbin admitted to himself that had been holding holding back a little with regards to how he felt for Felix. After the incident with trying to get the younger boy to summon a beast, Changbin wondered if Felix would ever return his feelings but the way the younger boy treated him, the way that he spoke to him, made him think that there could possibly be a chance. He thought that if he was to ever find out, he would have to take the lead and perhaps simply just ask.

 

“Hey, Lix, can I talk to you about something? It’s kind of important.” Changbin could feel the air change around him immediately as Felix raised his head and stared at him with worried eyes.

 

“Sure, hyung, what’s up?”

 

Changbin had worked up the courage to start up this conversation but it suddenly flew out the window when Felix looked into his eyes. “Uh, yeah, I wanted to, um, just say, uh, that I, I um-”

 

“So, Felix, what did you think of our amazing win? Changbin hyung and I did great, huh?”

 

“Argh! God dammit, Jisung! Piss off!” Both Jisung and Felix jumped away as the thunderous roar left Changbin, shocked eyes staring back at him. “You know what, Felix, it’s not all that important. I’ll talk to you later, ok?” Changbin immediately let go of Felix’s arm, walking ahead of the two younger boys. Jisung took Changbin’s place linking arms with Felix as he tried to evaluate what he had just interrupted.

 

“What the hell was that about? Were you guys talking about something important? Did I overstep my bounds?”

 

“You know what, Jisung? I’m not really sure.”

 

Further away from the small commotion, Jeongin and Seungmin walked side by side, both boys discussing the matches of the day, with Hyunjin keeping a watchful eye right behind them.

 

“Hyunjinnie, we saw Seunghyun in the tournament today. Are you alright? Did he speak to you backstage?” Hyunjin glanced up at a concerned Chan and Woojin who had placed themselves on either side of the young Alchemist.

 

“Uh, yeah, he did. He started trying to rile me up, asking if Felix had died from his wounds, if it was painful to watch him die.” Hyunjin actually had to physically restrain Chan as he turned around, almost as if he was heading back to find Seunghyun and kick the crap out of him. “But I’ve got incredible friends. Jisung and Changbin hyung were ready to fight that asshole and Minnie kind of did.” Hyunjin laughed at the memory of Seunghyun’s terrified face as the imaginary snake make its way up his arm.

 

The eldest boys looked terribly confused when they thought about the possibility of Seungmin, the slight, timid boy walking in front of them, going up against a threatening brute like Seunghyun and from the sounds of it, winning against the man. They would have to inquire as to what exactly happened later on.

 

“Jeonginnie, after we eat, do you want to try training to control your energy?” Jeongin looked up from his conversation with Seungmin, giving his attention to Yugyeom, who was still walking in front of him.

 

“That would be great, Yugyeom hyung! I’d love to!” Seungmin could almost feel the excitement flowing from the boy as they walked along the bustling street. The darkness had been eating away at Jeongin for too long and Seungmin was glad that there was now someone who could help the younger boy with his struggles.

 

“Innie, would it be alright if I came along with you? I won’t interfere, I just want to watch, if you don’t mind” Jeongin was surprised that the Illusionist was asking to come along and couldn’t help but feel that he wanted to join them as a form of support for him more than anything else.

 

“Sure, hyung, I don’t mind at all.”

 

“You too, Channie. We’re going to train at the same place as Yugyeom and Jeonginnie!” Chan have two thumbs up towards Bambam, who was shouting at the Knight from the front of the group over the noise of the crowds around them. The boys made their way towards the busy tavern, where they once again ate, drank and shared enthralling tales of their heroism. Times like this made them feel that perhaps, not everything was completely terrible within Phantasm.


	18. Two things you will never have to chase: True friends and true love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Putting up a pretty long chapter for you guys this week, I hope you don't mind. I'm slightly nervous about finally putting this chapter up but I am interested to see what you all think. Also, the story just got over 5000 hits? What? Thank you all so much for reading! Ahhh, on we go....

Chan, Seungmin and Jeongin left the bar with Bambam and Yugyeom slightly earlier than the rest of the others so that they could begin the training that the older boys had promised to partake in. No matter how much time passed after the battle within Siwan’s home in Aquiria, Chan felt the imperative need to keep a close watch over the two youngest boys, even though he knew they were no longer in any danger. They were safe and in better spirits than he had ever seen them before. This was strengthened by the fact that they laughed giddily at a very unimpressive dad joke that Chan had told them as they walked to their destination.

 

“There are about ten training areas set up for the tournament that those taking part can use. They don’t really care who goes in as long as one of us is registered to fight. We checked them out last night and they seem like a decent place to train and at this time of night, most of them should be free.” Yugyeom gestured to the far off domes that obscured the horizon.

 

“We won’t be going into the same area either. I think you would probably be distracted by each other if we did.” Bambam threw a small grin towards the boys since, even though he hadn’t known them for long, he knew he was right on this particular point.

 

Once they had arrived at the training grounds, Yugyeom motioned to one of the tents for Jeongin and Seungmin to make their way into. Before either boy left, Chan placed his arms around both of their shoulders, tickling the sensitive skin beneath their ears. “Innie, I know you’ll do great. Just don’t push yourself too far, ok? I don’t want to have to carry you back to the inn again. Seungminnie, I’m trusting you to keep an eye out for him, though I know I have nothing to worry about when it comes to that. I’ll wait out here for you if I manage to finish first and I want you to wait here if you’re done before me. You guys are not to walk back to the inn alone. Do you understand?”

 

Both boys quickly nodded their heads to show Chan that they did. They held the utmost respect for Chan, admired everything about him and all in all, really liked the older boy but they knew not to cross him either. It had never been directed towards them or their other friends but they had seen him angry before and it was not an emotion that either of them wanted to evoke in the Knight.

 

Waving before they lost sight of each other, Seungmin and Jeongin separated from Chan as they made their way into the training grounds.

 

“So, Channie, less than a month here, huh? How are you finding it?” Bambam swept his fingers through his platinum locks as he placed himself in the middle of the ring.

 

“Honestly? I’m not really sure. It’s pretty damn overwhelming and though I’ve come to terms with all of it, there’s still a hell of a lot that surprises and scares me. I remember Jisung saying that even though it’s supposed to be a game, the risks here are very real and that has become very apparent to me during my time here.”

 

The Paladin nodded his head with a small pout. “Yeah, I understand that. Just to let you know, I’ve been here nine months and the whole ‘getting surprised and scared by stuff’ thing doesn’t ever go away. You see something new everyday. At least I can say that I’m never bored!” Though Bambam was trying to make light of the situation, Chan could tell that the young man still held onto a little bit of anger for being placed in a situation like this without his permission.

 

“Changbinnie tells me that you have a strong energy about you and that you’d probably be able for some top tier training but I’m going to start you off easy all the same.” Chan mentally thanked the Medic for the kind compliment before nodding to Bambam to show that he was fine with whichever way the slightly older boy decided to train him.

 

“I want to cover a few things over the next couple of nights and everytime we meet back here, I want you to have practiced and be able to show me some improvement, alright?” Again, Chan nodded his head to show that he understood. “It would be best to train with someone who can use white magic since these skills are more for protection than anything else. There are a few on your team that can help you out with that, right?”

 

Chan considered those who could assist him in his group of friends. He thought about Changbin first, since he was the resident white magic user but realised the boy would probably wish to conserve his energy to fight in the tournament. That left him with Woojin, who he knew would help him without hesitation.

 

“The first thing that we are going to focus on is something very basic for classes like us and that is an energy shield that you can use for protection. I realise that you have a shield on your back for yourself but the energy shield can protect those on your team as well. You can project it towards one of your friends and the distance to which you can project it will increase as you perfect it with training.” Chan thought back to his first day in Phantasm and pictured the shield that Changbin had used to protect him from the savage Bafrer in the forest and thought that, if his friends were ever in similar danger, it would be a very useful skill to have.

 

“The second skill is Taunting. It’s a skill that exclusively works for Knights, Paladins and Tanks and I’m pretty sure I’m correct in saying that you’re the only one of those within your team, so this skill would be invaluable. You can use it to force an enemy’s attention to focus on you and draw their attacks away from your team.”

 

Chan had been excited entering the training area with Bambam but self doubt suddenly took his confidence’s place as he began to wonder if he would be able to master all of the skills that Bambam had planned to teach him. He was a capable adult but he kind of wished that someone had come along with him, like Seungmin had done for Jeongin, to reassure him that he was strong enough to complete his training.

 

“Channie, you still with me?” Bambam snapped his fingers in front of Chan’s face, the Knight not realising how close the other boy had come to stand in front of him.

 

“Uh, yeah, yeah, I’m still here. Ok, may as well tackle this head on. What do I need to do?”

 

Bambam quickly placed his hands on Chan’s shoulders and began to furiously shake him, gaining a very concerned look from the younger boy at the sudden motion that made me feel slightly nauseous. “Firstly, you need to get rid of all this damn tension you have built up inside your body. Relax a little, man. I don’t bite and you’ll be fine. Changbinnie said he had faith in your abilities and I have a feeling that he’s right. Breathe in and release. Don’t worry so much, ok?”

 

Chan wondered what he must have looked like if Bambam was able to tell that he was nervous about his training but thanked the Paladin for his kind, reassuring words. Chan thought that, even though Bambam looked to be cool and collected, he was probably just a childish and playful as he himself was, especially if he managed to get along with Changbin. They began their training, with Chan feeling more at ease once he realised that maybe picking up these abilities wouldn’t be as difficult as he had first believed.

 

* * *

 

“So, have you boys been friends for a long time?” Seungmin and Jeongin followed Yugyeom through the entrance before the older boy turned to face them.

 

“To be perfectly honest, just over a week.” Yugyeom arched his eyebrow at Seungmin’s confession, an intrigued twinkle entering his eyes.

 

“Seriously? You guys seems so close, I wasn’t expecting an answer like that. When did you meet all of the others?”

 

This time, Jeongin took the lead in answering. “To be perfectly honest, just over a week ago,” Jeongin parroted, a wonky smile flashing his braces. Yugyeom looked a little stunned, obviously not knowing what to say since all of the boys seemed exceedingly close even though they had only known each other for such a short time.

 

“Alrighty then. Guess we should just dive straight into this. That alright with you?” Jeongin nodded enthusiastically, his hands beginning to tremble slightly at the thoughts of controlling his energy.

 

“So, this is a little new for me. I’ve never taught someone before, especially someone who isn’t the same class as I am, so we’ll both learn something new from this. Seungmin, you can sit over there and observe. I promise I won’t put him through too much, don’t look so worried.”

 

Seungmin hadn’t even realized that he had subconsciously started to bite his lip until Yugyeom brought attention to it. The Illusionist bowed his head before moving to the sidelines, giving Jeongin’s hand a reassuring squeeze as he passed him.

 

“So, Jeongin, before we actually get started with this, I need to know something. What’s the root of your dark energy?” Jeongin tilted his head, confused, before he understood what Yugyeom had been asking him.

 

“Your asking me why I possess the class that I do.” It sounded like a question but it was more of a statement.

 

Seungmin looked between the two boys on the field. He knew that Jeongin was uncomfortable with people knowing what class he was and he had only recently come to know why that was. After Jeongin had let Chan and Woojin know about his past on the beach, he had then in turn let the others in his group know too, thinking that hiding it from them would only make him feel worse about it.

 

“I know that it’s difficult to speak about but there is a reason that I want you to reveal it to me. If you’d like, I can tell you why I hold my dark energy. I’m not a Necromancer, so I didn’t have a near death experience but someone close to me did pass away and I regret it very much. That’s what dark energy stems from, negative feelings, like regret.” Yugyeom had moved towards Jeongin and grabbed his hands, before guiding the young boy down to the ground.

 

“My mom always had a weak heart. I looked after her a lot but I never used to mind doing it since she had already done so much for me. Though, we all go through a bit of an angsty teenager phase, right?” Yugyeom smiled wistfully at the memories that made their way into his head. The older boy’s voice was quiet but Seungmin was just able to make out what he was saying, though, he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to or not.

 

“I was out with friends. Needed some time to myself after a long and stressful week. Teachers at school were giving me a hard time, my mom was constantly nagging at me for little, insignificant things. I got tired of it. My phone kept going off, texts and phone calls constantly coming in but I decided to ignore it and turned it off. When I eventually got home, a lot later than I usually did, my aunt was there and told me my mother had been taken to the hospital. They said that it was a heart attack when they brought me her belongings to take home, that they tried everything that they could and that they were sorry for my loss. I never got to say goodbye or tell her how much she meant to me because I was too busy being a stroppy teenager. That’s where my dark energy comes from, Jeonginnie, so would it be ok if you told me about yours?”

 

Both Seungmin and Jeongin sat quietly for a moment, trying to take in Yugyeom’s solemn past. Jeongin slowly started to come out of his daze and nodded to show that he would willingly share his story. He went onto tell Yugyeom about his parents and the terrible accident that took his family away from him, with Seungmin listening to him intently. Once he had released the details, he looked up to Yugyeom, waiting for the older boy’s reaction.

 

“I’m sorry you had to go through something like that, Jeonginnie but I’m glad that you were able to share it with me. Only when you’re able to speak about your trauma are you able to try to accept and control it. So, thank you for telling me. Now, we can begin with your training. Up you go.” Yugyeom brought Jeongin into a standing position once again.

 

“So, what your class focuses on more than anything is to summon spirits that can aid you in battle. Those with dark energy can attempt this too but the amount of strain it puts on their bodies in unimaginable. I’ve tried before and let me tell you, I never want to do it again but that’s only because my class doesn’t revolve around necromancy. For you, if you learn to control your energy, it should be a lot simpler. To start you off slowly, we’re going to get you to summon a spirit that won’t require you to use much of your energy. Ever heard of a will-o’-the-wisp?” Jeongin shook his head to indicate that he had never heard of such a thing but a small cough from behind him caused him to turn and look at Seungmin, who had his hand raised it the air, looking like he wanted to answer a question in a classroom.

 

“Um, I have. Oh, sorry, I’m just supposed to be observing. Never mind. Sorry.” Seungmin’s hand slowly began to fall as he apologised for interrupting Jeongin’s lesson but Yugyeom quickly stopped the boy.

 

“No, Seungmin, that’s alright. If you want to help Jeongin out, then go ahead. That’s why you’re here, right? To give him some support?” A bright smile crossed over Seungmin’s face as Yugyeom ushered him over to sit beside him.

 

“A will-o’-the-wisp is a ghost light that originates from English folklore. It’s said that if a traveler approaches it, it will recede and in doing so, lead them away from the safe paths that they travel upon. Basically, they act as a distraction that can possibly lead them to their doom.”

 

Yugyeom stared at the young boy with a slight grin gracing his lips. He thought that Seungmin might have known a basic fact about the little spirits but he had explained pretty much everything he wanted to cover with Jeongin. “That’s remarkable, Seungmin. How do you know all of that? It’s certainly not common knowledge.”

 

“I, uh, like to read a lot. Spent a lot of my childhood in the library. I find mythologies from different countries to be extremely interesting so, yeah, you know…” Seungmin looked almost ashamed that this was the reason he knew about the mystical spirits before Yugyeom patted his leg.

 

“Very impressive, Seungminnie. Do you want to stay here with us while Jeongin tries to summon one?” Seungmin nodded his head emphatically as Jeongin looked to him with admiration of his knowledge.

 

“Ok, Jeongin, close your eyes. Focus on your heartbeat and most of all think about your parents.” Jeongin’s eyes snapped open to stare at Yugyeom. He wasn’t sure if he had heard the older boy correctly and asked him to repeat himself. “Jeongin, the death of your parents caused the dark energy to build up inside of you but their presence in your life was what made you who you are today. I’m not asking you to think about their deaths, I’m asking you to think about their smiles, their kind words, the love that they had for you. You need to find the positive side of the thing that your dark energy stems from in order for you to be able to use it to your advantage. Do you understand what I’m trying to get at?”

 

Jeongin did but he thought that it would be difficult. He remembered his parents for who they were but all that had focused on over the last ten years were his mother’s final screams. He had blamed himself for their deaths for so long that sometimes, he did forget about all of the good times they had together. However, since Chan and Woojin had spoken to him on the beach, he gradually began to recollect everything. The way his mother tucked him in each night with a kiss, the way his father placed him on his shoulders that made him feel like he could nearly touch the sky, the way that they both held him close whenever he had a nightmare that disturbed his sleep; he had begun to remember it all.

 

“Woah, Innie, you’re doing it…” Jeongin had become so immersed in his memories that, only when Seungmin spoke, did he recall what he was supposed to be doing. When he opened his eyes to see what he was referring to, he noticed a small black orb floating in front of him. Yugyeom’s smile indicated to him that he had managed to control some of the dark energy within him, even if it was only a small amount.

 

“Jeonginnie, you’ve managed to manifest some of your energy. Keep it steady, alright? Now, I want you to call the spirit forth. Simply say the following phrase and the name of the spirit you wish to call straight after it. Careful with the pronunciation, it’s a little tricky. _Venez à moi_ _..._ in this case, simply say will-o’-the-wisp. Only your summoning chants are in a different language, you can speak to your spirits in whatever language you want to give them a command. Go ahead, give it a try.”

 

Jeongin wasn’t ever a particularly competitive person or a perfectionist in any sense but something inside of him wanted to get this on the first try, no matter what. He inhaled deeply, clearing his throat before he clearly stated the words that Yugyeom had taught him.

 

 _“_ _Venez à moi_ _, will-o’-the-wisp.”_

 

The black orb in front of him began to react, the soft edges suddenly becoming engulfed in a cold flame. The blackness of the fire soon shifted to a calming blue and Jeongin could feel a presence within the small orb, almost as if it was alive.

 

Yugyeom calmly moved towards Jeongin as he quietly whispered, looking like he didn’t want to frighten away the spirit that the boy had just summoned. “Jeonginnie, give a command, a simple one.”

 

“Um, alright. Go down, please.” Yugyeom couldn’t help but laugh slightly at how polite the younger boy was, even to a spirit that was under his control. Just as instructed, the small ghost slowly began to descend towards the ground. Jeongin gasped as the orb listened to his request and glanced over to Seungmin, who was staring in awe of the younger boy.

 

“Will-o’-the-wisp, go to Seungmin hyung but do not harm him, please.” The light made its way over to the Illusionist, who held out his hand to balance it on his hand, obviously not worried about getting burned by the turquoise flame surrounding it.

 

Before another command could fall from his lips, Jeongin began to feel dizzy and placed his hands on his own forehead. Yugyeom was at his side in an instant to steady him. “Jeonginnie, it’s time to send it home now. Repeat after me: ‘ _V_ _ous pouvez partir_ _, will-o’-the-wisp.’_ ”

 

Jeongin parroted the phrase that Yugyeom has uttered and the blue light floating around Seungmin’s hand gradually disappeared into the air in small flecks of luminous dust. Seungmin hadn’t noticed Jeongin’s shaky form due to the presence of the little ghost but once he had, he moved at lightning speed to help Yugyeom in holding the young boy up.

 

“Jeonginnie, that was incredible. You managed to do it on your first try. You should be extremely proud of yourself.” Yugyeom looked ecstatically happy with his young student but Seungmin couldn’t help but be a little confused.

 

“He still got dizzy after summoning it, I thought that wouldn’t happen now that you were teaching him how to properly control it.”

 

“It will take time for him to get used to the toll it takes on his overall energy, as most things like this do. There is a more important question to ask, though. Jeonginnie, did it hurt you in any way, trying to control the wisp?” Jeongin didn’t even really think about the fact since he had been so amazed by the little spirit that had been floating around in front of him but he hadn’t felt any pain the way that he usually did when he used his powers.

 

“Just the dizziness but no pain. Nothing at all.” A wide grin made its way to Jeongin’s face as he beamed at his two hyungs that were supporting him.

 

“Seriously? You’re not just trying to be brave in front of us, are you? You don’t feel anything?” Seungmin gazed into Jeongin’s eyes, trying to discern whether or not Jeongin was lying to them.

 

“The only thing I feel is my undying love for you, hyung.” Seungmin quickly tried to move away from Jeongin’s puckered lips as he made an unimpressed face. Yugyeom laughed hysterically at the boy’s antics and couldn’t help but draw similarities between the two youngsters and himself and his hyungs.

 

“And that is all we are going to cover for tonight. Jeonginnie, I want you to practice before we meet up again tomorrow night. You managed to summon the wisp for just over two minutes. Tomorrow, I want it here for at least five, alright? Seungminnie, I want you to oversee his training when I’m not around. Make sure he doesn’t overdo it, I’m trusting you to do that.” Seungmin gave a firm salute towards the older boy, who responded with a soft smile.

 

“Over the next couple of nights, there are three other spirits that I want to teach you how to call. While the wisp is helpful in the way of distraction, the other three will help you when it comes to fighting. They require much better control over your energy and they will make you feel a lot more exhausted in the beginning but I promise, it will be worth it. Let’s see if Seungmin really is as smart as he says when it comes to the topic of folklore.” The Illusionist looked a little worried at the impromptu test that was suddenly being put to him.

 

“Do you know what a Banshee is?” Yugyeom’s sly smile showed Seungmin that he was sure he wouldn’t be familiar with such a spirit. Luckily for Seungmin, he liked to read _really_ obscure books.

 

“A Banshee comes from Irish folklore. She is said to be a harbinger of death, with those who hear her scream losing a family member soon after. Her eyes are continually red from crying and she sings a lament for all of those who have died. She is often seen to be wearing a green dress with a long hooded cloak.”

 

Yugyeom arched his eyebrow with the response that seemed like it was being read straight out a book. “Very good, that’s the first one. What about a Preta?”

 

“Pretas are spirits that derive from South Asian religions, the idea eventually making its way to East Asian ones too. A Preta is said to be the ghost of someone who was extremely greedy, jealous or deceitful in their past life and because of this, they are cursed with an insatiable hunger in their spectral form.”

 

This time, a small laugh left Yugyeom, disbelief obviously present in the air. “Alright. The final one is a Poltergeist.”

 

“Poltergeists are more commonly known, especially since they appear in so many films and books nowadays. The name comes from the German words _poltern_ and _geist,_ which mean ‘to move around’ and ‘ghost’, respectively. They are known to be pranksters, though some are a lot more dangerous when they injure or even kill people with their seemingly harmless actions.”

 

It took a few seconds for Yugyeom to react, obviously impressed with the young Illusionist’s extensive knowledge. “Jeez, you are one intelligent kid. You sure you don’t want to join our group? We could use someone like you. Youngjae hyung would love to have someone else like him on the team.”

 

Even though Yugyeom had just taught Jeongin the thing he wanted to master the most since he entered this world, he couldn’t help the way his face contorted with disbelief upon hearing that the older boy wanted to take his best friend away from him, even if it had just been a passing joke.

 

Seungmin’s arm was suddenly placed around Jeongin’s waist, pulling him closer after seeing the unimpressed expression on the younger boy’s face. “Thanks, hyung but I’ve already found my family and I’m never going to leave them, not for anyone.”

 

Jeongin looked to Seungmin, slight shock gracing his features. Barely a week ago, he had been elated when Seungmin had called him his friend for the first time but now, he had called Jeongin his family and that meant more to the youngest boy than any other words ever could.

 

“Jeonginnie, hey, why are you crying?” Yugyeom had already begun to advance towards the young Necromancer to wipe away his tears, Seungmin hastily moving in front of him to make sure he was alright. He hadn’t meant to start crying but the tears wouldn’t cease, even when he told them to stop.

 

“Ah, I’m alright. I think it’s just the relief of finally being able to control the dark energy. I think I’m a little tired but still not in any pain, which is great. Thank you so much, Yugyeom hyung.”

 

Yugyeom was already dragging his thumbs along the boy’s cheeks to get rid of the streaks of water. “Anytime, Jeonginnie. You boys are very polite, anyone ever tell you that? Extremely sweet too. There’s a neat little trick you can perform once you’ve learned to control the wisps a bit more. You ever need to contact me when we’re not together, you can speak into the wisp and it will retain the words. Give it a command to find me and I can access the message once it realises who I am. You ever need help, you contact me, got it? Both of you, I mean it. I’ll be here for you guys if you need me.”

 

While Jeongin bobbed his head to show that he understood, Seungmin stood completely still. Kindness from strangers seemed so suspicious to him now, his mind trying to find some sort of ulterior motive but he knew Yugyeom would never have something like that. He was one of Changbin’s closest friends and had offered to train Jeongin without asking for anything in return. Siwan has destroyed his trust and that irritated him very much. He wanted to be able to trust Yugyeom without any hesitation but something in the back of his head just couldn’t let go of the fear of being betrayed. It had been the same with Joomi back at the inn. Jisung knew her well and had vouched for her with regards to her loyalty but Seungmin still couldn’t trust her straight away. When he noticed the two looking at him, Seungmin nodded his head, indicating that he too, understood.

 

“Great, that’s it, I guess. Chan told you to wait outside for him, yeah? Let’s go and see if they’re finished. I’ll stay with you until they are.” Yugyeom grasped both of their hands as he led the boys out of the tent to find Chan and Bambam. The two older boys didn’t seem to be finished yet since they were nowhere in sight but another was waiting for them instead.

 

“Woojinnie hyung? What are you doing here?” Seungmin and Jeongin let go of Yugyeom’s hand to dash towards their friend, who welcomed them with open arms.

 

“Can’t I come to collect my boys? Where’s Channie?”

 

“Not finished yet. He should be done soon.” As if on cue, Bambam and Chan emerged from the first tent, with Chan looking slightly shocked at Woojin’s presence.

 

“Well boys, you did well tonight. We’ll see you back here tomorrow. We’re going to go and rest so that we will be ready for the next round of matches. Thanks for being such great students!” Yugyeom nodded his head as the three boys bowed to show their appreciation towards the Paladin and Dark Sniper. They watched Bambam and Yugyeom walk away before making their own way back.

 

“Woojinnie, what are you doing here?” Chan strolled beside the Bard as the two youngest boys walked in front of them.

 

“Kinda wanted to show you somewhere after we dropped the kids home. Would that be alright with you?” Chan chuckled as Woojin linked their arms together after Chan had agreed to go with him.

 

“I need to ask you a favor. Bambam told me to practice the skills I learned tonight with someone who could use white magic. Think you could help me out with that?”

 

“Sure. We can do it when we arrive at the place I want to go, ok?” They walked to the inn, with the silence being broken by Seungmin and Jeongin’s laughter. Once they had told the two youngest boys that they would be leaving for a while and to let the others know, they took off to their destination.

 

* * *

 

After Chan, Seungmin and Jeongin had left the bar to pursue their training, the boys dispersed into different directions. Woojin told the others that he would go to collect the boys from training after he had looked around the town a little bit. Felix had whispered something to Changbin in the middle of the evening, causing him to look a little uncomfortable before grabbing onto Hyunjin and relaying the message that he had just heard from the younger boy. They made their way towards the same area that Chan and the younger boys had headed to earlier in the evening without explaining why.

 

That left Minho and Jisung to head back to the inn, since they weren’t particularly interested in going anywhere else. Jisung has also mentioned that he felt a little tired after such an exciting day. The Thief couldn’t help but laugh at the way Minho seemed to fret a little over the slight injury he had endured during the match earlier in the day. A Medic backstage had healed him up but a small scar still remained. Another reminder to Jisung to be more careful in the future.

 

“That pressure point training that you gave me really saved my ass today, hyung. Good thing I’m such a wonderful student and remembered where they were.”

 

“No, it’s just because I’m such a fantastic teacher. You’re a terrible student. I mean really, really awful. How did your teachers ever put up with you?” Jisung was obviously not impressed with Minho’s insult, beginning to walk slightly faster and separating from the older boy.

 

“I told you before, I was at the top of my class for a really long time. I was a pleasure to have in class. Maybe I had a bit of a hard time sitting still but I was always pleasant.”

 

Minho placed his arms around Jisung’s waist as he walked behind the other, pulling the Thief closer to embrace the warmth that radiated off of him. “I know, Jisungie. You are a very agreeable and good natured person, unlike me.” Minho had said it as a joke but Jisung quickly spun to face the boy, Minho’s arms still wrapped tightly around his waist. The motion had been so quick that Minho didn’t have time to properly react before their noses skimmed off of each other, making the older boy giggle.

 

“Hyung, what are you talking about? You’re...awesome. I’m really not good with big, descriptive words. Um, you’re delightful, gracious, charming, sweet, caring, handsome, amazing and any more superlatives I cannot think of right now. Don’t put yourself down like that. I hate to see someone I care about so much do that to themselves.”

 

The bitterness of the night descended on the two boys as they could now see their breaths coming to life in front of them before mixing together because of their closeness. Minho had been playing with a thought in his head for the last couple of nights that seemed to plague him every time he saw Jisung. He wanted to tell the younger boy about why he had joined him in the first place. He wanted to tell him that he had become part of their group because he knew that Gyujin was after him, that he had been the one that had broken into his room and nearly attacked him, that he had been following him around and the only reason he had saved him was because it suited him. He wanted to tell Jisung the truth because he didn’t want to keep it from someone he had come to cherish this much. Jisung had just said that he cared about him too but Minho didn’t know if he meant it in the same way.

 

He thought it was stupid, like something you would read in a crummy romance novel. Falling for the person you had been trying to deceive the whole time. It was foolish and dangerous and idiotic but it had still happened to Minho. Being face to face with Jisung like this made Minho realise how easy it would be to show the other how quickly he had managed to captivate him with all of his quirky and cute mannerisms and make him feel the way that nobody in the world ever had before. It would be simple but Minho couldn’t do something like that until he had come clean with the young Thief. He had made the decision that, once they got back to the inn, he was going to tell Jisung about all of it and hoped the younger boy wouldn’t react too harshly since he had told him the truth willingly.

 

“Uh, hyung, are you alright? Your arms are squishing me just a little.” Minho’s thoughts were finally disturbed when Jisung spoke up and the older boy gently released the Thief.

 

“Yeah, Jisungie, I’m good. When we get back to the inn, there is something I’d like to talk to you about.”

 

“You can’t just tell me here? Is it something really terrible? Do we need to be alone?” asked Jisung with mock seriousness but once he saw Minho’s expression, his earnestness instantly became real. “Ah, this isn’t a joking matter then? Wait, you’re not going to leave, right? You said that you wouldn’t leave me-”

 

“No, no, Jisungie, I’m not leaving, don’t worry.” Minho caressed Jisung’s face to comfort the boy once he saw that he was starting to panic at the thought of Minho abandoning him. “I just need to speak with you alone, that’s all.”

 

“Ok, hyung, let’s get going then.” Jisung bravely intertwined their fingers as they began to walk the rest of the quiet side street.

 

The air around Minho suddenly erupted with a suffocating red tinge. His hairs stood on end as he felt a murderous intent surrounding them, making him feel like he couldn’t breathe. He instinctively pulled on Jisung’s hand to stop the boy and wrap his arm around his shoulders, keeping him close.

 

“Hyung, what’s the matter? I thought you wanted to go back and...why do you look so scared?”

 

Minho had activated his Third Eye without Jisung’s knowledge but throughout all the auras that he could detect, he couldn’t pinpoint the one that let out such and unbearable rage that it was palpable into the air. “Um, it’s nothing, Jisungie. Just thought you might be a bit cold and feel a little warmer in hyung’s arms.”

 

Jisung screamed giddily once Minho’s freezing nose met with the heated skin of his neck. The Thief eventually managed to detach himself and began to sprint towards their lodging with Minho giving chase, leaving the tense feeling of anger far behind them.

 

Once they had arrived in their rooms, which were still vacant, indicating that none of the others had returned, Minho guided Jisung to sit in the wooden chairs placed in the corner of the room. They had left the cold air outside but it somehow seemed to follow Minho and invade his chest, making him very uncomfortable as he sat across from the boy who always exuded a pleasant warmth.

 

“Ah, Jisungie. Um, ok, this is a little difficult to say. Well, the reason I wanted to talk to you is, well, it’s because I, uh-”

 

Leaning forward, Jisung placed a comforting hand on Minho’s knee, stroking it gently to try and get the older boy’s attention. “Hyung, why are you so nervous? It’s just me. You can tell me anything, you know that, right?”

 

Minho wondered if the _anything_ that Jisung was talking about included something like this. He prayed that it did because he really didn’t want to lose the boy with the lopsided smile sitting in front of him or any of the other boys for that matter. They called themselves a family and they had involved Minho in it too, something he had never been included in before. He was just going to do it, regardless of all the possible outcomes.

 

“Minho hyung? Jisung hyung? Are you guys back yet?” Minho’s let out a small sigh of exasperation when his thoughts were interrupted by Seungmin and Jeongin bouncing through the door, returning from the youngest boy’s exhausting training.

 

“Hey guys, we’re here. Oh, hyung, sorry. You were saying?”

 

“You know what, Jisungie? It’s alright. I’ll tell you another time when we’re alone. It can wait.” Minho stood and made his way over to the two youngest boys to inquire how their training had gone. In doing so, he never noticed the startled and slightly concerned look on Jisung’s face. Those feelings were soon replaced by confusion when he heard Changbin’s shrill voice ring through the air as he walked through the door of the bedroom.

 

“Han Jisung, get your ass over here right now so I can kick it all the way back to Haknal.”

 

* * *

 

Felix fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. The busy tavern was a place that he would usually love to be but tonight, he wanted nothing more than to get out. Ever since Aquiria, a constant nagging at the back of his head wouldn’t let him live in peace. He wanted it to go away but he knew there was only one way to do that.

 

“Lix, you’re driving me crazy. Do you realise your legs bob uncontrollably when you’re nervous about something? What’s up?” Changbin placed a calming hand on the back of Felix’s neck to try and ease whatever anxiety was eating away at him.

 

The younger boy gnawed on his lip as he turned his head and lowered his voice so that only Changbin could hear. “Hyung, I think I’d like to try tonight, maybe in one of the training areas that are set up for you guys.”

 

Changbin reeled back at Felix’s words. He knew what the younger boy was referring to but after his little argument with Hyunjin, Changbin was a little hesitant to let the boy attempt this so quickly. His worry was obviously prominent on his face since Felix silently asked him what was wrong. “Ok, Lix, if you’re sure, then we can try. Oh, one sec. Hyunjin.” The Medic ushered the Alchemist to come closer and let him know about Felix’s idea since he had said he wanted to be by Felix’s side when he wished to attempt it for the first time.

 

“Oh, really Lix? Already? I don’t know if you should with such little preparation.” Felix had become accustomed to Hyunjin acting like his parent in the months that they had been trapped in the virtual world and he was thankful for the boy who looked after him so well but in instances like this, where he already felt suffocated, he wished Hyunjin would back off just a little bit.

 

“Jinnie, you said you would support me when I wanted to try this for the first time. Well, I want to try and I’m going to do it, whether you’re there or not.” The resolve in Felix’s words made Hyunjin realise that he was set on trying to summon his beasts, regardless of the circumstances tonight.

 

“That brings me to another point of interest. Changbin hyung, how did you know that Hyunjin wanted to be there when I attempted this? How did you know that I spoke to him about what happened between us in Aquiria?” Both boy’s averted their eyes when the question was put to them, Felix’s stare firmly placed upon them.

 

“I just had a little discussion about it with Changbin hyung last night. Completely calm and serene. Shouting certainly did not ensue. I just let him know that I would like to be there, that’s all.” Changbin rolled his eyes at Hyunjin’s obvious lie, though it seemed to quench Felix’s curiosity since he was nodding his head with understanding.

 

“I see. So, nothing happened? I know you were kind of upset about it at first, Jinnie but you were alright when speaking to Changbin hyung?”

 

“He was fine. Like Hyunjin said, we just had a quiet conversation about how we could help you.” The smiles plastered on both Changbin and Hyunjin’s faces were obviously not their natural ones and Felix wasn’t stupid enough to assume that they were.

 

“Ok, first of all, both of you are terrible liars, I can see right through you and even if I couldn’t, Jisung already told me all about the argument you guys had last night because of me. Thanks for the concern but I’m strong enough to endure something like this. Come on, let’s go.” Felix began to stand to exit the bar, leaving behind a slightly dumbfounded Hyunjin and Changbin.

 

“I’m going to kill him. Han Jisung is a dead man.”

 

“You’re going to have to get there before me, hyung. I’m going to make him wish he was never born.” The two boys followed Felix out of the tavern, already planning on the best way to make Jisung’s death look like an accident.

 

Half of the training areas seemed to be in use, with Felix being certain that he heard Chan’s voice floating from one of them as they passed. Once Changbin had given his name to one of the officials that were overseeing the areas so that nobody would sneak in, they made their way inside.

 

“So, how are we going to go about this?” Hyunjin rubbed his hands together, obviously nervous about what was about to take place.

 

“We? I think this is something that relies on my skills alone. How would you two even help me?” Cocking his head to the side, Felix smiled at the boys who had an expression of indignant determination firmly set on their faces.

 

“Well, I’ve actually been reading up on Beast Master classes. I bought a book in Aquiria when I went shopping with Woojin hyung. I gave it to Hyunjin last night after we fought...t-talked, after we talked and he managed to finish it this morning. It told us a lot about your class. Your summoning chants and commands are in Latin, right? We were able to learn some of them in case you needed to be reminded about what they were. Plus, we’re here for moral support more than anything else. So, you’re not doing this on your own, Lix.”

 

He wasn’t going to become emotional but he could certainly feel a sense of overwhelming gratitude towards the two older boys standing in front of him at that very moment. “Ok, I got it guys. Thanks. Guess I should just give it a go, right?”

 

Hyunjin has noticed the slight stutter in Felix’s words, indicating to the Alchemist that the younger boy was just as nervous as Hyunjin was, if not more. “Lix, think about what beast you’re going to summon first. I mentioned to Changbin hyung that a Chiyeou would probably be an easy one to do. It’s pretty weak, so you wouldn’t have to worry about it att-” Hyunjin immediately cut himself off, not wanting Felix to automatically think about the beast he was going to summon attacking him.

 

“A Chiyeou? Yeah, that seems simple enough. I can do that. You guys won’t go anywhere, right? You’ll stay right behind me?”

 

Hyunjin thought Felix was comparable to a child riding their bicycle for the first time without training wheels, afraid that their parent would suddenly let go of the saddle, allowing them to fall. Placing a comforting arm around his neck, Hyunjin pulled the young boy close, squashing their cheeks together. “We’re both right here, Lix. Ready to help if needed.”

 

Once Felix was sure that the older boys had his back, he moved forward slightly into the ring. He inhaled deeply before letting out an extremely shaky breath. He scolded himself for his trembling fingers and shook them as a deterrent from continuing to do so. He quietly started to mutter to himself before he began the chant. “Felix, you can do this. Don’t be a baby. Jinnie and Changbinnie hyung are behind you to help if you need it. You need to overcome this. Just do it.”

 

Placing his hands out to his sides, he tried to recall the incantation that would allow to call the small fox-like animal forth. _“Adiutorium meum intende, lupus.”_

 

Felix managed to maintain his posture as a small gust of wind disturbed the sand on the ground in front of him, indicating that the beast he had summoned was beginning to form, tiny flecks raining down from the air. His hands hadn’t stopped shaking but he was going to see this through to the end, no matter what.

 

Changbin’s blood ran cold as he looked to Hyunjin, who garnered the same horrified expression as the Medic. “Hyung, _vulpes_ is the Latin word Beast Masters use to summon monsters like Chiyeous. _Lupus_ is-”

 

“A wolf. He made a mistake, he’s summoning a Bafrer. Felix, stop! Now!”

 

Changbin’s warning was a step too late. The monster had almost completely formed in front of the three boys, a low snarl seeping from its mouth. Felix had turned with a disgruntled expression, obviously annoyed with Changbin for disturbing him when he was trying to attempt what the older boy had been trying to get him to do since Aquiria. However, once he saw both Changbin and Hyunjin sprinting towards him, he spun to see the evil spirit in front of him and began to panic, labored breaths beginning to leave the boy’s mouth.

 

With no orders being given to it from its master, the Bafrer was free to move around by itself. It quickly acquired its target and ran towards Felix, heavy paws leaving indentations in the sand. He tried to move but Felix was so terrified by the monster in front of him, that all his body would allow him to do was cower and scream at the thought of the incoming pain.

 

Protective arms were suddenly placed around Felix’s crouched form while he felt a calming wind fly throughout the area. Opening his eyes, Felix saw Hyunjin curled around him; his best friend shielding him with his body from the possible attack. However, the Bafrer was no longer in the arena, courtesy of Changbin, who had used his holy magic to quickly dispose of the savage animal.

 

Once they were sure they were safe, Hyunjin turned to Felix, his eyes filled with alarm and worry. “Lix, are you alright? Felix, focus on me. Grab my hands, look into my eyes, match your breathing with mine. Deep breaths in through your nose for seven seconds, hold for three and release them slowly out through your mouth. There we go, just keep breathing. No, Lix, don’t apologize, just breathe.”

 

The Alchemist tried to halt the strings of “I’m sorry” that were falling from Felix’s lips. Hyunjin had become accustomed to dealing with Felix’s panic attacks and simply tried to guide him through it as he had done so many times before.

 

Changbin was at their side in an instant, taking one of Felix’s small hands from Hyunjin and stroking it gently. “Felix, you’re safe, don’t worry. We’re here. Shh, stop saying sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

Felix’s breath hitched every time he tried to speak, causing the boys to try to get him to stop talking and focus on calming himself down instead. “I-I’m sorry. A-are the two of you a-alright? I messed u-up. Sorry, sorry, sorry…”

 

The three boys sat on the ground of the training area for close to fifteen minutes, with Hyunjin and Changbin reassuring Felix that he was not at fault, that this feeling would only be temporary and most importantly, that he was safe with them.

 

Once Felix’s breathing had returned to a regular pace and he was no longer shaking, Changbin let go of his hand and stood. “Hyunjin, you were right, this was a stupid idea. We’re done here. Felix, you don’t have to try again. Let’s go back to the inn. The others should be-”

 

“Tomorrow night. We’re doing this again tomorrow night.”

 

Hyunjin actually had to stifle a laugh at Felix’s words. “Lix, excuse my language but you’ve got to be fucking kidding me. After what just happened, you want to try again? No, I’m not letting you.”

 

“I’m sorry, you’re not letting me? Hyunjin, you don’t get to decide that.”

 

“Actually, I do. I promised myself that I would look out for you and I’m not letting you go through this again.”

 

“Hyunjin, stop it! I’m fine! Stop assuming that I’m too weak to do anything. I’ve managed to get this far and survive. So quit acting like my mom and start acting like my friend because it’s starting to piss me off. I have to do this so that I can be stronger, so I don’t have to be protected all of the time because if one of you gets hurt because I was too much of a coward to fight then I’m never going to be able to forgive myself!”

 

Hyunjin finally understood why summoning his beasts had suddenly become so important to Felix. It had never bothered him in the months that they had spent together, so it confused Hyunjin when the boy was immediately set on conquering his fear. Before he met Hyunjin, he only had to look after himself. When he met Hyunjin, it wasn’t long before they joined the bandit crew, who only cared about themselves and he could just about manage to protect himself and Hyunjin with his melee skills. Now, he was with Changbin and the rest of his group and he had more people that he cared about. It wasn’t about overcoming the fear for himself, it was so that he could protect his new family if they were forced to engage with the numerous dangers within this world.

 

“Alright, Lix. Hey, it’s ok. Don’t be upset, I get it. You want to try again? Then Changbin hyung and I will be here tomorrow night as well. Right, hyung?” Changbin glided to Hyunjin’s side, offering a consoling smile to the youngest boy while nodding his head.

 

Felix felt exhausted. Summoning the beast was difficult enough, seeing as he hadn’t tried it since he entered Phantasm. On top of that, his panic attack had pretty much drained him of all his energy but then he had to overexert himself by shouting at his friends that were only trying to help him.

 

“Jinnie, Changbinnie hyung, I’m sorry. I just need to do this.”

 

Before he knew what was happening, Felix’s arms were being dragged upwards and placed around Changbin’s neck, the older boy pulling him up into a piggy back. “You got it, Lix. We’ll come back tomorrow but you need to do some reading and only when I think you’re sufficiently prepared will I let you attempt this again. You have to satisfy both Hyunjin and myself with regards to your preparation if you want us to keep helping you, understood?”

 

Felix could have argued with the Medic but his sleepiness denied him. Plus, Felix was now relishing in the warmth and familiar scent of the older boy, not ever wanting to let go of him. “Sure, Changbinnie hyung, I’ll do that.”

 

Felix nodded off almost immediately after exiting the training area, leaving Changbin to walk alone with a slightly annoyed Hyunjin.

 

“Hyunjinnie, you’re a good friend. Felix is strong and even stronger when we’re around, so just relax a little bit. He’ll be more tense if you are too. I know you’re worried about him but tonight we managed to defend him when something went wrong and we’ll continue to do that for as long as he needs us. On a side note, I need you to help me kill Jisung now for ratting us out. I need you to be focused on this. Are you with me?”

 

“Heh, I’m with you, hyung.”

 

Just before they arrived back, Hyunjin gently nudged Felix awake so that he could walk in normally. If they had seen Felix sleeping on Changbin’s back, suspicions may have been aroused and he was sure the younger boy wouldn’t want anyone asking them where they had been. Entering the inn and swinging the door open, Changbin raised his voice after locating Jisung. “Han Jisung, get your ass over here right now so I can kick it all the way back to Haknal.”

 

* * *

 

“Ok, Channie, are you ready?”

 

After they had watched Seungmin and Jeongin enter the inn and were sure that they were safe, Woojin grabbed Chan’s hand and led him towards the area above the city. The Overlook was a place that Woojin had visited within his first couple of days within Phantasm. It boasted the best view of the capital city during the day, luring tourists from far and wide. In the darkness however, while the city lights were impressive, the stars were a far more breathtaking spectacle. Thousands of diamonds were dotted across the dark sky above, making Chan marvel at the sight.

 

“Beautiful, isn’t it? I spent the first week here in Morthan with Moonbyul and Seunghoon. I used to come up here by myself at night time to try and wrap my head around all of it. The view of the stars always made me feel more at ease. It’s so peaceful up here at this time so, I thought I’d share one of my favorite places with you, Channie.”

 

Chan wasn’t quite sure what to say. More than anything, it was because he didn’t know what was more alluring: the night sky or the boy standing in front of him.

 

“You said you wanted to try out some of the abilities you learned tonight, right? What do you want me to do?”

 

Chan instructed Woojin on how he could help. All he needed was for the older boy to attack him with a simple spell. Bambam had shown him how to harness his strength and form an energy shield. Unlike Changbin’s, which was snow white, Chan’s had manifested with a deep blue colour.

 

“Ok, Channie, are you ready?” Woojin closed his eyes to begin his song once Chan had indicated that he was with a bob of his head.

 

Chan steadied himself as he waited for Woojin’s attack, which came shortly after. A flash of silver light flew towards him in an instant. Chan focused on the threat in front of him, thinking about what he was trying to protect, like Bambam had told him to do. Directing all of his energy to the palm of his hands, Chan produced his energy shield and diverted the attack. Though he had pretty much gotten a hold of manifesting the shield, trying to aim where the deflected attack went still needed a little bit of work. Before he could stop it, Woojin’s spell was rushing back towards him, knocking him to the floor.

 

“Oh, shit! Woojin!” Chan’s shield had dissipated once he ran through it to go to his friend’s side. “Woojinnie, I’m so sorry, are you alright? This is why I need to practice...are you laughing?”

 

Woojin was finding it hard to breathe after being so surprised by his own attack being flung back at him. Loud giggles left Woojin’s mouth as Chan hovered over him, no longer worried about the boy’s wellbeing. The Bard slowly calmed himself and his laughter came to a halt once he noticed Chan’s face so close to his. “I’m all good, Channie. Thanks.”

 

“Uh, no, thank you. Sorry, I don’t have the proper control yet. I’ll get the hang of it soon enough and try not to mow you over the next time. Here, let me help you up.” Chan offered his hands to Woojin, who grabbed them and was soon hoisted upwards.

 

They moved to the edge of the cliff overlooking the city and sat for a while, not saying anything. The bracing air on Woojin’s face was welcomed by the older boy as it brought back some fond memories of his first days within the game. He couldn’t focus on the sky above any longer, becoming very aware of the pair of eyes that had been fixated on him since they sat down. “Channie, why are you staring?”

 

“Oh, god, sorry. I didn’t even realise I was doing that.” Chan quickly became flustered after being called out and averted his gaze.

 

“You knew that you were staring. Why were you looking at me, Channie? Is it because I’m so incredibly handsome?”

 

“Yeah, kind of.” All sense of humor was suddenly sucked out of the air with Chan’s response. Woojin quickly turned his head to stare at the Knight and his blunt confession.

 

“Was I supposed to say no, Woojin? Were you just joking? Do you not think that you’re handsome? Because you are. I’ve thought that ever since I first laid eyes on you in Haknal. Changbin used to constantly tease me about it early on. Your looks aren’t the only thing that drew me in though. You’re funny, caring, talented and so incredibly kind and the thing is that you don’t seem to realise any of that. The boys all love you so much and you love them and that’s why-”

 

Chan’s compliments were cut short when he could no longer utter them. Soft lips began to move against his, courtesy of Woojin. The Bard grabbed Chan’s collar and tried to pull him in closer, which was seemingly impossible as their noses brushed off of each other. The younger boy went rigid with shock, not knowing how to properly react to the sudden kiss that Woojin had initiated.

 

Upon not feeling any reciprocation and noticing Chan’s eyes widen in disbelief, Woojin immediately moved back, letting go of the front of Chan’s hoodie and quickly standing up. “Oh god, I misunderstood. Chan, I’m so sorry. Forget I just did that. Shit, I’m so stupid…”

 

It took a couple of seconds for Chan to come back to reality after what just happened but when he saw Woojin begin to walk away from him, he immediately jumped up. Grabbing the older boy’s hand, Chan spun him around before placing his hands on his face, causing their lips meet once again. The freezing air did nothing to impede the unbearable heat rising up within both of them as all hesitancy evaporated into the sky, the shining moon hanging over them and illuminating their forms. This time, the fervent kiss was intense and hungry, both boys seemingly starved of each other’s affection. Stumbling backwards, Woojin attempted to ground himself as Chan pushed forward, trying to get closer to the older boy than he already was. Chan’s hands fell down to rest on Woojin’s hips briefly before quickly moving to the small of his back and playing with the end of his wrinkled shirt. The blood rushing through his ears blocked out the noise that reached them from the city below as he was taken in by the moment. Hurriedly running his fingers through Chan’s hair, Woojin allowed them to become tangled in the soft curls. Trembling hands slowly trailed down Chan’s neck until Woojin was cupping his face and tracing his thumbs across the younger’s strong jawline; both melting into the kiss that they had wanted for such a long time.

 

Eventually, they had to break away for air. Woojin took in the flustered boy in front of him who was breathing heavily, messy hair and blood red lips becoming more attractive to him than they had ever been before. He had finally managed to show Chan how much he meant to him and he had been lucky enough that Chan apparently seemed to reciprocate his feelings.

 

“Woojin, thank god you made the first move. I was so nervous that you mightn’t feel the same way.” Chan peppered small kisses along Woojin’s flushed cheeks as he spoke. “The amount of times I’ve wanted to kiss you? I’ve lost count.” Chan intertwined their fingers, his lips caressing the back of Woojin’s hands, allowing a small giggle to fall from the older boy as Chan’s hot breath tickled his skin. “I don’t know how much longer I would have been able to endure it.” Chan made his way back up to meet Woojin’s lips again, this time, a gentle peck sufficing after their heated kiss moments ago. Staring into each other’s eyes, both boys broke into soft laughter filled with happiness at the realisation that their feelings had finally been returned.

 

“I love you so much, Woojin.”

 

“Really? I think I just like you a little bit.” Moving back with horror on his face, Chan began to pout, punching Woojin’s shoulder and immediately looking away. The Bard laughed through his nose before turning Chan’s face towards him again and planting a small kiss on his forehead. “I love you quite a lot too, Channie.”

 

They remained up at the Outlook for an hour or two more; slight glances and words being exchanged and perhaps one or two more playful kisses. They finally decided to return once they thought the kids may be worried about their whereabouts.

 

“Guess I’ll have to talk to Changbin when we get back.”

 

“You have to speak with Changbinnie? How come?”

 

“Made a deal with him. He said that the day that I told you about how I felt, he would tell Felix that he liked him too. Let’s see if he’s true to his word.”

 

“Oh, you may have an evil streak in you that I haven’t seen before. Another reason to love you, I guess.” Chan buried his face deep into Woojin’s neck as they walked, snaking his arms around the other’s waist, not wanting the the older boy to stray too far from his embrace. Woojin thought he would never get tired of hearing Chan saying that he loved him, not knowing that Chan was thinking the exact same thing when it came to Woojin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh, so there we go I guess! I've never written a romance scene before so I'm sorry if it's a little awkward but hey, Woochan finally confessing! I hope that makes at least some of you happy! I'm going to go hide now. See you next week!


	19. Admitting we're wrong shows courage, not weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what I think? I think you all got a little too comfortable with the fluffiness of the last chapter based on the cute, little comments you left on the story last week. So....enjoy!

As they approached the bedroom door, Chan and Woojin faltered slightly at the noise, or lack thereof. No sound came from the room that they were certain the other members resided in. Whatever else the eldest boys had in common, their brotherly instincts to protect the youngsters was top of the list. Hurriedly opening the door, both relaxed when they saw the mess of bodies on the floor.

 

Changbin had his arms firmly wrapped around Jisung’s neck, almost looking like he was strangling the boy. However, the way that Jisung snuggled into the Medic showed that he was not in trouble but more than comfortable as his hyung held him close as they slept. Minho sat against the wall with Seungmin and Felix asleep on either side of him, his arms hugging them close and protecting them, making sure that nobody would take them away. Hyunjin’s hand was placed upon Jeongin’s head as it rested on his lap, indicating that he had been stroking his hair until both of them had drifted off.

 

They almost cooed at the scene in front of them. Almost. The wreckage around the boys made it seem like an incredible battle had taken place. Bed sheets were flung all of over the room, curtains were dragged off of the railings, the contents of the boys’ bags were strewn across the ground.

 

“What the hell did we miss? This is why one of us needs to constantly be with them. No more leaving Minho or Changbin in charge of the kids. It obviously doesn’t work well.”

 

Chan managed a small laugh but he wasn’t sure if it was because of Woojin’s observation or caused by the disbelief of the state of the room in front of them.

 

“They’re going to be complaining about their backs tomorrow after sleeping on the floor like this. How are those four going to compete if their muscles are killing them? I’ll wake them up and tell them to go to bed.” Woojin moved forward to raise the sleeping youths but a firm grasp around his wrist quickly halted him.

 

“Don’t. They look too cute, we wouldn’t want to disturb their precious sleep. Plus, this is my room that I’m sharing with Seungminnie and I am _not_ going to be the one cleaning it up. They can do that when we wake them up really early in the morning. I’m thinking some sort of air horn, something to scare the crap out of them. What do you think?”

 

“Bang Chan, you really want to put our boys through that?”

 

“Damn right I do. Hey, isn’t that one of your songbooks ripped to shreds by Jisungie’s head?” Woojin’s eyes shot to the torn pages falling from the book that he had been reading only last night before he went to bed.

 

“I don’t know if an air horn would be loud enough.” Woojin sighed heavily, massaging his temples at the sight of his possessions being destroyed by young hands. “Being a parent is freaking exhausting.”

 

Chan’s giggles fluttered past Woojin’s ear as he placed his chin on the older boy’s shoulder. “I’m here now. You don’t have to deal with them alone. I’ll help you in any way I can, Woojinnie.” Chan’s lips gently brushed off of Woojin’s jaw, causing the Bard to turn and smack the boy who was now grinning maniacally.

 

“What if they wake up?”

 

“What if they do? They’ll find out eventually. That I’m crazy about you, that I’m head over heels in love with you, that I think you have the softest, most beautiful lips I’ve ever-” Woojin’s hands clasped over Chan’s mouth to stop him from spilling any more embarrassing praises that were causing his cheeks to flush dramatically.

 

“Ok, I get it, now shut up. Let’s go, they can deal with their punishment in the morning.” Woojin closed the door carefully behind him, trying not to disturb the sleeping members, never noticing the two boys who hadn’t fallen asleep in the first place.

 

“Ha, told you that’s where they were, Jisungie. You owe me one hundred coins. They confessed before the first month was up. You lose.”

 

“Minho hyung, I’m not so much worried about paying you the money as I am about getting my ass kicked tomorrow by Woojin hyung. He really loved that book.”

 

“Deal with it tomorrow, Jisungie. For now, just go to sleep.”

 

* * *

 

“All right, everybody up, up, up!” It hadn’t been an air horn but Changbin did wonder where Chan had managed to find two cooking pots to bang together. He couldn’t remember if they had bought them along with the rest of their camping equipment but cursed whoever gave them to the older boy.

 

Jeongin jumped up immediately, stepping on Felix’s hand in the process and causing curses to fall from the freckled boy’s mouth.

 

“Chan hyung, what the ever loving f-“

 

“Ah, Jisung, watch your mouth!” Woojin leaned against the doorframe as he watched Chan wake the younger boys up, his warning look placed firmly upon the Thief.

 

“I’ve come to wake the seven of you up so that we can discuss what happened here last night. Seven of you. There should be seven of you, so why are there only five? Where the hell are Hyunjin and Seungmin?” Chan’s eyes darted around the room in search of the boys that obviously weren’t there. Before either Chan or Woojin could panic too much, Felix held up a small piece of paper that had been left on the study desk in the room. How Felix managed to distinguish that the note was not just another piece of trash from last night stumped Minho.

 

“Don’t worry, hyung. They left a note.” Chan made his way over to the disgruntled boy and carefully took the paper from his hands.

 

_‘Minnie and I are going to the training grounds to practice before the match. We will meet you at the stadium._

_P.S. Neither of us caused any of the mess from last night. That was all Jisungie and Changbinnie hyung. Whoever is reading this, make sure to punish them really harshly. Hyunjin.’_

 

“Ah, they managed to escape and rat Jisung and Changbin out at the same time. Hyunjin seems to be working for us now. Says the two of you caused this mess. Is that true?”

 

While Jisung and Changbin shouted that they had nothing to do with it, neither of the boys noticed Minho, Felix and Jeongin furiously pointing to them and nodding their heads, obviously not wanting to take the blame for something that didn’t involve them.

 

“Looks like you don’t have any true friends here either. The others are selling you out too.” Gesturing to the boys behind them with a nod of his head, Chan began to walk towards Woojin in the doorway as Jisung and Changbin looked around at the boys who had betrayed them.

 

“I don’t care what the reason was, both of you clean up your mess. Think of it as a training exercise to strengthen your teamwork before your match today. Oh, and Woojin wants to talk to the both of you. Something about buying a new book?”

 

Chan sauntered out of the door, closely followed by Minho, Felix and Jeongin, who turned to salute the two boys left standing in the room with a sympathetic smile.

 

“Hwang Hyunjin, you fucking snake. Why do I keep getting betrayed by all of my friends? He was supposed to help me kill you last night.”

 

“Wait, what?”

 

“So, Jisungie, Changbinnie, what exactly happened here last night? And why was my book a victim?” Neither of them quite knew how to respond to the Bard’s glare but they knew that if they didn’t come up with an adequate reason, they were both dead.

 

* * *

 

Felix and Jeongin led the group towards the stadium, meeting Seungmin and Hyunjin along the way. Changbin instantly jumped on Hyunjin’s back at the sight of him returning, shouting something about ‘betrayal’ and ‘never trusting him again’.

 

Once he had finished admonishing the Alchemist, Changbin felt a strong arm tug him back, slightly out of earshot of the others walking down the bustling street. “Hyung, I’ll buy you a new songbook, you don’t have to scold me again. Why are you only picking on me? Jisung was the cause of the whole fight!”

 

“Changbin, relax. That’s not what I want to talk to you about. I just wanted to tell you again that you should really tell Felix about your feelings for him. Don’t keep hiding it.” Woojin kept his eyes straight ahead of him, maneuvering both Changbin and himself through the crowd.

 

“Nice try, hyung but we made a deal. I’ll tell Felix when you tell Chan hyung.” Smiling like he had already won the argument, Changbin turned to look at Woojin, who had his eyebrows raised to show him that he had, in fact, lost.

 

“W-wait. You didn’t. Is that where the two of you were last night? No way, what happened?!” Changbin had stopped in the middle of the path, earning himself glares from the people walking behind him, trying to get past.

 

Woojin pulled his arm to keep both of them walking at a steady pace, making sure not to lose the others in front of them. “I brought him up to the Outlook above the city. To be honest, I had no intention of confessing, I just wanted to share somewhere special with him. He started saying all of these wonderful things about me and before I could really stop myself, I kissed him.”

 

Changbin’s reaction made them seem like two teenagers talking about their first crush, squealing and bouncing up and down as Woojin relayed the events of last night. “When I did though, he froze up, didn’t kiss me back and I thought that I had made a really big mistake. I was about to sprint back to the inn but he spun me around kissed me and let me tell you, it was…” Woojin covered his face, trying to hide his giddy smile and tinted cheeks all at the same time.

 

“Oh my god, hyung. It’s ok, I don’t need to hear any details like that. So, what happened after that?”

 

“He-he told me that he loved me. We stayed up at the Outlook for another while and came back to the inn, where we found the destruction that you and Jisung had caused. That’s pretty much it.” The smile on Woojin’s face hadn’t faltered throughout his recollection, showing Changbin how much what happened last night really meant to the Bard.

 

“Well, I’m very happy for you, Woojinnie hyung. I presume you told Chan hyung that you loved him too.”

 

“Yeah, of course I did.”

 

“So, who said it first? You or him?”

 

“Channie said it first.”

 

“Ah, then technically, you didn’t tell him how you felt, he told you and you simply replied in kind.”

 

“I think the kiss that I initiated first pretty much expressed my feelings. Stop trying to get out of our deal on a technicality. Tell Felix already. I think you’ll be happy with the result.” Gently tapping Changbin’s cheek, Woojin finally detached himself and made his way up to Chan, hooking arms with him instead.

 

Changbin knew that Woojin would keep pestering him about this until he did it but he didn’t want it to be some on the spot thing. He wanted to be prepared when he talked to Felix, though he had really been preparing himself since he realised how he felt about the other. He didn’t have time to think about that now. He had to focus on the second round of the tournament. He had to focus on Jisung and their match. At least, that’s what he told himself.

 

* * *

 

The second day of the tournament wasn’t nearly as eventful as the first, with all of the matches moving along quite smoothly. The crowds reactions and cheers hadn’t diminished however, still being as loud and enthusiastic as the previous day. There were no more big surprises since all of the fighters had revealed their classes within their first matches so now, it was just a matter of seeing the teams using their opponent’s classes against them.

 

Changbin and Jisung managed to pull the number one ball out of the lots, with Hyunjin and Seungmin pulling out number seven. The Medic and Thief faced off against a Danseur and Bard by the names of Sungwoon and Minhyun, who seemed to be a number of years older than the two of them but still retained a youthful appearance.

 

The match lasted exactly six minutes in length, Changbin and Jisung both content with the fact that they managed to win their match in a shorter amount of time than the day before. While their opponents may have been stronger than their previous ones, they seemed to run out of stamina a lot faster, obviously being too cocky and trying to finish the match as quickly as possible. It had been a punishment on Chan’s part but their cleaning up exercise earlier in the morning did give the boys time to discuss their strategies for the day.

 

Sungwoon and his Danseur class allowed him to move at quite a substantial pace but Jisung’s speed couldn’t be matched by the older man. Running rings around him, Jisung managed to incapacitate his opponent while Changbin cast his buffs to allow Jisung to accumulate more energy to continue to strike. Minhyun tried to help out his teammate as best he could but Jisung had managed to move onto taking him down by the time he had sang the first two lines of his melody.

 

They were rather glad that they had pulled the lot for the first match out since they could now relax and watch the rest of the matches without having to worry. They still had to wait and see if Seungmin and Hyunjin would make it through but in the end, they didn’t have anything to be concerned about. In fact, Changbin and Jisung made a silent promise to complete their next match even faster than today since the other two boys managed to win in just over four minutes. They promised themselves that they were happy for their members and not in any way competitive towards them. Not at all.

 

Hyunjin may or may not have woken Seungmin up earlier than anticipated to go to the training ground. Once there, he may or may not have forced him to learn a handshake that they would use if they won their matches. It may or may not have taken the entire morning to master because of how complicated Hyunjin had made it but apparently, there’s no fun if a celebratory handshake doesn’t look cool.

 

Seungmin couldn’t help but laugh at Hyunjin’s euphoria at winning their second match, quickly completing their celebration. “Yeah, Minnie! We are awesome. See? Second match completed and nary a problem.”

 

“Nary? Really?”

 

“What? You’re not the only one who knows fancy words. Come on, let’s go back to Jisungie and Changbinnie hyung. We can watch the rest of the matches in peace.”

 

Backstage, the four boys were joined by Bambam and Yugyeom after they too had won their match. Yugyeom asked Seungmin about Jeongin’s progress with regards to summoning his wisps, with the younger boy replying that he was advancing at a rather quick pace. Though Yugyeom had told Jeongin that he wanted the wisp to be present for at least five minutes the next time they trained together, Seungmin admitted that he had managed to keep the little spirit around for almost ten last night before becoming slightly tired. Yugyeom was indeed surprised about his protégé’s progress, silently complimenting him on completing such a feat.

 

Once all of the matches were complete, all of the competitors were called into the ring by the spectral referee. “I would like to congratulate all of those who have managed to make it to the final twelve groups in the tournament. You have all performed splendidly and we are very impressed with what you have shown us.”

 

“Why is he saying all of this? Who gives a fuck if they’re impressed?”

 

Woojin slapped Minho’s arm at his crude use of language in front of Jeongin and Felix, even though the two younger boys simply laughed at their hyung’s profanity.

 

“Contrary to how things have progressed so far, you will no longer be drawing lots to divide you into matches. From now on we, the judges, will decide who you fight based on the classes that all of you hold. We have the matches for tomorrow already planned out. Please turn you attention towards the screen to see who you shall face in the third round.” The twelve remaining teams looked to the table to find their opponents.

 

Felix sat forward a little in his seat upon seeing the matchups for the next round. “Well, shit…”

 

Woojin made no move to reprimand the boy for his foul language since he too wanted nothing more than to curse at the referees for how they had planned this out. Once they saw Hyunjin and Seungmin being paired up against Seunghyun, they knew that it wouldn’t be an easy match to watch.

 

In the ring, on the other hand, Hyunjin’s knuckles grew white as he clenched his fists with excitement. “Finally. Finally, we’ll be able to kick that bastard’s ass. Minnie, this is it, the most important match so far. We have to go straight to the training grounds to practice for it.”

 

“Ah, Jinnie, I can’t. Jeongin is training again tonight, I have to go and help him.”

 

Hyunjin whipped his head around to stare at Seungmin, a disapproving glare forming on his face. “Seriously? What about the match? I thought you said that we were a team? You said that we’d beat Seunghyun with everything that we had but we can’t do that if we’re not prepared. You said that you had my back, was that a lie?”

 

Seungmin didn’t quite know how to respond to Hyunjin when he was pissed off, having never acted this way towards him before. The darkness in the older boy’s eyes made Seungmin feel that he should be very cautious about what he said next. “Jinnie, I’ll always have your back but I promised Jeongin that I would help him see this through. He’s suffered so much and he’s finally getting the hang of it. He needs me”

 

“I need you too. Why are you choosing Jeongin over me? I’ve told you all about what this guy did to Felix and how he made our lives a living hell. You know damn well how much this means to me and you’re brushing it off like it’s nothing!”

 

Seungmin was starting to get a little annoyed at the accusatory tone in Hyunjin’s voice that made it seem like he was doing something unthinkable. Turning to face the Alchemist, Seungmin tried to keep his voice steady, though he wasn’t sure if it had begun to shake because he was irritated or scared. “Jinnie, I’m not choosing him over you, I would never do that to any of my friends. You both mean so much to me but-”

 

“But. You know what, Seungmin, it’s fine. You go and help Jeongin if you think that’s what takes priority. You promised me that you would help me defeat him but just forget about it. I don’t need you anyways.” Hyunjin turned around to face the screen again, leaving the palpable tension to make its way between the two of them and force them even further apart. Once the referee dismissed them for the day, Hyunjin immediately left Seungmin’s side, not noticing the hand that went to clasp his just a second too late.

 

The final cheers of the day were inaudible to Seungmin as he became lost inside of his head. He couldn’t believe how quickly his conversation with Hyunjin had gone so wrong. He knew why the Alchemist wanted to train for the match but he had made a commitment to Jeongin and he wasn’t simply going to abandon him, especially since he was doing so well. After a heavy sigh, Seungmin began to follow the other competitors out of the stadium before he felt both of this hands being grasped by encouraging ones.

 

“Seungmin, listen to me. Hyunjin is just a little agitated after seeing Seunghyun again. Believe me, we all are. Don’t take it personally, ok? He’s just venting his anger but that doesn’t give him the right to take it out on you. What he said was completely out of line. I’ll talk to him.”

 

Seungmin shook his head towards Jisung after his kind offer, telling the slightly older boy that it didn’t bother him. Changbin was quick to object, letting Seungmin know that Hyunjin had been in the wrong but he really didn’t want to make the situation worse than it already was and asked both of the boys to just drop the subject. He knew that he had been the one at fault anyways, like he usually was. The three of them walked hand in hand towards the exit where they met the rest of the group.

 

Jisung detached from Seungmin to move towards the others. “Hey, where did Hyunjin go?

 

“Uh, he went straight to the training grounds. I was surprised he didn’t wait for Seungmin but when I asked him about it, he kind of just glared at me and walked off. What was that about?” Minho began to walk with the rest of the boys towards the Airgead bar they had become so used to visiting over the last couple of days as he spoke with Jisung.

 

After the Thief told him about the events in the ring, a rather agitated voice broke the conversation between them. “Hyunjin seriously said that to Seungmin? Why is he acting like such a child? We’re all pissed at Seunghyun, me more than anyone but he won’t get away with talking to someone like that. Seungmin, don’t worry about it, I’ll speak with him and he won’t have a choice but to listen.”

 

Felix promptly took off towards the training grounds to find Hyunjin. Changbin followed him soon after, mumbling something about making sure that Felix wouldn’t kill the Alchemist, though nobody was quite sure if he was joking or not.

 

Seungmin stayed at the back of the group alone, reprimanding himself for screwing up one of the only decent friendships he had ever had. After seeing the look on Hyunjin’s face, he was unsure whether or not Felix could say something to make Hyunjin revert back to normal when it came to his relationship with him. He knew it was foolish, yet it didn’t stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. He didn’t want the Alchemist to be angry with him, he didn’t want to have to choose between his friends and he most certainly did not want his relationship to diminish with Hyunjin, especially not with Hyunjin.

 

As he continued walking, his face was suddenly hidden away into someone’s neck, masking the tears that were starting to make their way down his cheeks. “Shh, Seungminnie, don’t cry. Hyunjin will come around, don’t you worry about that. He cares too much about his friends to stay angry at them for long. Here you go.”

 

Seungmin took the tissue offered to him by Chan as they continued to progress and wiped his eyes. It was funny to him. Throughout his time in Siwan’s house, he had never really cried about his circumstances, unless he counted crying out in agony, which he didn’t. However, the thoughts of Hyunjin not being his friend anymore was enough to draw the tears from his eyes. He feared that he had done too much damage by refusing the one request that the Alchemist had asked of him, especially after Hyunjin had already done so much for him. Seungmin knew that the other boy was right; he had made a promise to help him and he wasn’t doing a very good job at keeping it. Chan kept Seungmin’s head nestled into his shoulder until they reached the bar where the boys took turns in comforting the Illusionist, making sure that he never felt that he was alone.

 

* * *

 

The punching bag swung from side to side as Hyunjin laid into it with as much strength as he could. All he could do was picture Seunghyun’s face as his fists came into contact with the sticky vinyl. After a rather vicious punch, the side of the bag garnered a small slit, causing small grains of sand to slip from the incision and litter the ground.

 

Hyunjin stumbled backwards, falling to the floor and removing the gloves he had been using to train before running his aching fingers through his sweat drenched hair. “Shit…”

 

“Hyunjin!” He knew Felix’s voice the moment he heard it but the fact that the boy was calling him by his given name showed that he was obviously not in any sort of joking mood. The only times he called him Hyunjin was when he was extremely upset or pissed at the Alchemist. Not that this surprised him, Hyunjin knew exactly why Felix had come to find him and possibly rip his head off.

 

“I’m here, Lix.” Hyunjin stood and steadied himself, trying to prepare for the oncoming storm about to rush towards him. He couldn’t say that he was all that shocked to see that Changbin was following Felix into the tent in which he was training; they were more or less attached at the hip at this stage.

 

“Did you seriously snap at Seungmin because he wanted to help Jeongin train instead of going with you?” Hyunjin realised how childish his actions sounded when Felix phrased it like that, like he was a spoiled brat who acted out when he didn’t get his way.

 

“Look, he doesn’t get how important this match is going to be. I just wanted to make sure that we were prepared for it. You should understand that, Lix.”

 

Felix’s gaze pierced through Hyunjin, obviously not impressed with the older boy trying to justify his actions towards Seungmin. “Don’t give me some lame ass excuse for treating our friend like that. I have more of a right than anyone to be furious with Seunghyun but I’m not the one acting like an impudent child. You need to find Seungmin and you need to grovel. You need to beg for forgiveness because he was close to tears when I came here to find you and you’re the cause of that, Hyunjin. So go and fix your damn mistake.”

 

Hyunjin admitted that he had a bit of stubborness in him and it was that small amount that was being fueled by his anger towards Seunghyun at this very moment. “Lix, you’re making too big of a deal out of this.”

 

“I am, huh? Well, missing my training shouldn’t make that much of a difference to you then since you think Seungmin can miss Jeongin’s. Until you find and make up with Seungmin, you’re banned from helping me perfect my Beast Master abilities.”

 

“What?! Felix-”

 

“Leave, Hyunjin. Changbin hyung will stay and help me but I don’t want to see you again until you’ve apologised to Seungmin.”

 

Of all the outcomes he had expected, this certainly wasn’t one of them. He wanted nothing more than to help Felix overcome his fear but now he was being removed from the equation and that pissed him off even more than he already was. Exhaling through his teeth, Hyunjin glared at both Changbin and Felix before making his way out of the tent into the evening air.

 

“Oh, he was not a happy bunny, Lix. You think that was the smartest idea? He looked even angrier than he did when we entered.” Changbin couldn’t help but stare at the exit which Hyunjin had just stormed through, hoping that the boy wouldn’t do something that he regretted.

 

“Jinnie is a stubborn idiot, he fixates on stupid things, he lashes out at the wrong people sometimes but the thing is he’s a good person, a great friend and he will always apologise in the end. Pleading with him doesn’t get anywhere, you just need to make him see that he has done wrong and he will make it right. They’ll be friends again before the night is over. Though, I can’t say the same thing about the two of us. He did seem pretty pissed at me, didn’t he?”

 

“Oh, good, you did pick up on that. Don’t worry Lix, he loves you, he’ll forgive you soon enough. So, now that we’re here, do you want to try training again? I get if you’d rather skip it tonight.” If Changbin was being honest with himself, after last night, he was kind of hoping that Felix would agree to drop it but he had no such luck.

 

“No, hyung, I’d like to give it another go. If that’s alright with you?”

 

Changbin moved forward with a nod of his head, already removing the staff from his back in case the events of last night repeated themselves. “Lix, what’s the incantation you’re going to use? Say it for me now before you focus your energy on it and try to summon the Chiyeou.”

 

 _“Adiutorium meum intende, vulpes._ I did the reading like you said last night, hyung. I won’t screw up this time. At least, not the incantation.” Felix gave a weak smile as, no matter how much he wanted to do this, there was always the sliver of fear in the back of his mind.

 

“Ok, Lix, go ahead.”

 

Stepping into the ring once again, Felix raised his arms and clearly stated the words that he had just uttered to Changbin. The sand began to stir again but this time, a Bafrer did not appear. Instead, the little jade fox that they had come across before made its appearance. Unlike the evil spirit that had formed the previous night, the Chiyeou wasn’t a hostile monster by nature, being quite docile as it sat and stared at Felix and Changbin with curious eyes.

 

Felix attempted to steady his breathing as it rocked within his chest. He knew that the Chiyeou wouldn’t attack him unless he tried to harm it but the anxiousness still didn’t disappear.

 

“Lix, you can do this. Give it an order.” Changbin moved closer but didn’t touch Felix in any way in case it caused him to lose focus.

 

 _“Audite vocem meam, creo venti.”_ Felix wondered if the small fox would take his command seriously since both he and his voice were trembling like a leaf but when it began to stand and open its mouth, a small bud of hope began to blossom in his chest.

 

Though Changbin had tried to learn some of the Latin phrases that Felix would use to command his beasts, he hadn’t become anywhere near fluent and had no idea what Felix had just asked the little monster to do. It occurred to him that this is what it must have been like for Felix when he first came to Korea, barely understanding the language that he needed to survive. It only added to the respect that he had for the boy since he knew it couldn’t have been easy.

 

The Chiyeou squeaked a little as a rather strong gust of air fell from its mouth and blew towards the boys. Changbin surmised that the boy in front of him must have asked the little nature monster to create the wind that it would usually use to scare off enemies. It was calming, cool and not in any way threatening and Changbin knew that this was because Felix was managing to control it.

 

Felix wasn’t sure if his heart rate was rising because of his fear or the fact that the miniature beast in front of him was listening to what he had asked him to do. His stance began to shake a little and he decided within himself that he had done enough.

 

 _“Ut relinquam te.”_ Again, the Chiyeou listened to Felix as he told it to depart. Evaporating into sparkling green dust, the Chiyeou disappeared into thin air, leaving Changbin and Felix to stand in the middle of the training arena alone.

 

“D-did I just manage to manifest a beast and give it an order? That wasn’t an illusion, right? I did it?” Changbin was at Felix’s side in an instant, hugging the freckled boy as they hopped up and down and laughed madly at the great success of the training.

 

“Lee Felix! You managed to summon a beast and keep it here for nearly three minutes! If that’s not an accomplishment, then I don’t know what is! Ah, I’m so proud of you!” Changbin kept swinging the boy around, their joviality never finding reason to cease.

 

Once they had exhausted their energy, both boys stood still, their arms placed around each other’s shoulders and simply cherished the small victory that had just taken place. Changbin knew that this would probably be the perfect opportunity to complete his promise with Woojin since nobody knew that they were here. Hyunjin did but he was more than sure he wouldn’t return after Felix’s little outburst.

 

“Lix, remember the last day when I said that I needed to speak to you about something?” Felix nodded, still leaning into Changbin’s hug. “Think I could talk to you about it now?” Again, Felix nodded his head but moved away to properly look at the Medic. Changbin thought Felix’s eyes were magical. They always seemed to have a sparkle in them, even when he smiled and they crinkled shut. The star like freckles on his cheeks only drew him in more as he stared at the younger boy.

 

“So, Lix. I’ve been wanting to tell you something for quite a while now and I feel like I should just come out and say it.”

 

“See, hyung, I was right. They’re still here.”

 

Changbin wondered if life would have been easier if he had killed Jisung last night. He also questioned if Jisung was doing this on purpose because every time he went to confess to Felix, the Thief was there at the ready to interrupt it.

 

“Why are the two of you still in the training area? You must have found Hyunjin since he isn’t here- uh, hyung, why do you look like you want to strangle me again?”

 

“Jisung, just get away from me before I do something that I regret.” Changbin began to stomp towards the door, gaining a curious look from Minho.

 

“Minho hyung, Jisungie! You’ll never guess what I just did…”

 

Though Changbin was annoyed that the admission of his feelings had been cut short once again, he couldn’t help but smile as he heard Felix boast about his achievement, with Minho and Jisung loudly congratulating him shortly afterwards. He was content enough that Felix was happy. He knew the perfect opportunity would come around eventually, he just wished that it would come a little bit faster.

 

* * *

 

Hyunjin moodily made his way through the main street, brushing off of bystanders without giving them so much as a backwards glance. He was annoyed and tense and very aware that how he felt was entirely his fault. His chest began to burn as he thought back to how he had treated Seungmin earlier on in the day. His venomous tone was the result of the internalised anger he felt towards Seunghyun and he had thrown such harsh and appalling lies towards Seungmin with it lacing his words. That wasn’t him. He hadn’t meant any of what he said but he had still said it. Felix had practically yelled that Seungmin had almost been crying when he last saw him, making Hyunjin feel even worse than he already did, which he knew he deserved. Back in Aquiria, when Seungmin had begun to break at the thought of Siwan coming to take him back, Hyunjin had made a promise to himself that he would try everything in his power to make sure that he would never see Seungmin’s tears again. Yet, according to Felix, he had been the one to cause them and that was killing him.

 

Walking into the bar where he knew the others in his group had gone, he scanned the area before he saw Woojin sitting at the bar by himself, Seungmin nowhere in sight.

 

“Woojinnie hyung…”

 

“Seungmin isn’t here.” Woojin didn’t look up from his drink, making it very clear to Hyunjin that he was just as pissed with him as Felix was. He had dug a very deep hole with his words and he wasn’t quite sure how to get out of it.

 

“Hyung, I’m sorry-”

 

“I don’t think I’m the one you should be saying sorry to. Do you, Hyunjin?” Woojin turned and raised his eyebrows at the Alchemist, jumping off of the stool he had been placed on.

 

Hyunjin had always seen Woojin as someone he could trust without fail, a confidant, a hyung who he could talk to about absolutely anything and seeing the older boy so disappointed in him was causing him to crack ever so slightly. “Do you know where he went?”

 

“Like he said, he went to help Innie with his training. He’s been gone for a while, he didn’t stay for very long. I think he got tired of people asking him if he was alright and having to say that he was.” Hyunjin’s head fell at that, cursing himself again for taking his irritation towards Seunghyun out on Seungmin.

 

“Look, Hyunjinnie, I know that people’s anger can get the better of them at times but you directed yours at the wrong person, at one of the people that you care about the most.” The Alchemist’s glossy eyes met with Woojin’s, the older boy obviously wise to Hyunjin’s feelings towards Seungmin. “So, go and fix your mistake. He’s probably still at the training grounds with Jeongin. Go on, off with you.”

 

Woojin’s comforting smile made an appearance, his earlier anger subsiding once he saw the regret in Hyunjin’s eyes. Though he had said some hurtful things, Woojin knew that Hyunjin didn’t have an ounce of bad blood in his body. He wasn’t blind to the way that Hyunjin always took care of the members in the group and made sure that they were safe. Giving a reassuring squeeze to the younger boy’s hand, he ushered Hyunjin off.

 

After thanking Woojin, Hyunjin made his way back to the training areas once again. Just as he approached, Chan and Jeongin rounded a corner, almost colliding with the Alchemist. Glancing around, he noticed that, once again, Seungmin wasn’t with them even though Woojin had said that this was where he had gone.

 

“Ah, Chan hyung, Innie, where is he?” Hyunjin bent down, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Both boys held a look of disapproval on their faces, causing Hyunjin to break. “I know, I know, I’m an ass. I shouldn’t have said what I said but I’m trying to find him so that I can apologise, so can you just tell me where Minnie is? Please?”

 

Upon hearing the nickname that Hyunjin was so fond of return, both looked at each other, softening. “Seungminnie went up to the Outlook for a while. Said he wanted to be alone but I don’t think he’d mind your company. Fix-”

 

“-my mistake. Yeah, I know. Why does everyone keep saying that to me? Thanks, I’ll see you later.”

 

It took Hyunjin another fifteen minutes to reach the top of the hill, his lungs well and truly wrecked. He trudged up the steps before suddenly stopping in his tracks. He saw Seungmin sitting forward, eyes closed, legs hanging over the side of the cliff and his mind automatically jumped to the worst conclusion. However, his wobbling legs steadied themselves once he heard the sweetest melody falling from the young boy’s lips.

 

 _I'm trying to hold my breath,_ _  
_ _Let it stay this way,_ _  
_ _Can't let this moment end._ _  
_ _You set off a dream in me,_ _  
_ _Getting louder now,_ _  
_ _Can you hear it echoing?_ _  
_ _  
_ _Take my hand,_ _  
_ _Will you share this with me?_  
'Cause darling, without you…

 

Hyunjin was rooted to the ground as he listened to the moving lyrics of the song, his eyes never leaving the boy’s still form. If there had been any tension left in his body, Seungmin’s song had made it evaporate into the cool evening air. Jaw hanging open, Hyunjin couldn’t believe that Seungmin had managed to hide such a talent from him all this time.

 

 _All the shine of a thousand spotlights,_ _  
_ _All the stars we steal from the night sky,_  
Will never be enough, never be enough,

_Towers_ _of gold are still too little,_

_These hands could hold the world but it'll,_ _  
_ _Never be enough, never be enough,_ _  
_ _  
_ _For me, never, never,_  
Never, never,

_Never, for me, for me._

 

“Minnie…” Hyunjin hadn’t realised that he had come to stand so close to Seungmin until he spoke. The younger boy obviously hadn’t heard Hyunjin approach either, being so immersed in his song that when he turned around to see who had spoken, he almost slipped off the overhanging edge to the ground below. Hyunjin hastily ran forward, grabbing Seungmin’s shoulders and pulling him back to safety. “Minnie, be careful!”

 

“Ah, I’m not Seungmin anymore, then? Back to Minnie?”

 

Ashamed eyes averted themselves from Seungmin as Hyunjin was called out on his immature behaviour from earlier. He had planned out everything that he wanted to say to the younger boy on his way up to the Outlook but seeing Seungmin’s eyes still gleaming from the tears he had spilled earlier because of him made the Alchemist forget everything.

 

“Minnie, I am so, _so_ sorry. I acted like an entitled asshole earlier. You’re my teammate, my friend and I had no right to order you around like that. I just- when I saw that we were finally up against Seunghyun, I- no, that’s an excuse and that’s not what I came here to give you. I came here to apologise and ask for your forgiveness. I understand if you can’t give that to me straight away and that our team within the competition might be compromised because of how I acted but I want you to know that I am really sorry. If you want to hit me or something, I’ll understand. In fact, I encourage it.”

 

Hyunjin turned his cheek towards Seungmin and scrunched his eyes shut, waiting for the incoming slap. Instead, a small tap hit his cheek and forced him to open his eyes to look at the Illusionist, who was smiling softly at him. “Jinnie, it’s fine. You just wanted to get some justice for what happened to Felix. You were right, I am your teammate and I should be there to help you. So, I’m sorry for letting you down and not meeting your expectations.”

 

Seungmin’s head fell slightly but a small knock on the crown of his head compelled him to look up again. “Minnie, this was in no way your fault yet you’re still blaming yourself. You’ve got to stop doing that. How I acted was not fine and if I, or anyone else, ever treats you like that again, don’t stand there and take it. Punch their lights out!”

 

The giggle that Hyunjin received in response to his very serious advice made him relax a little since he thought Seungmin mightn’t be as angry as he thought he would have been.“Oh, by the way, you’ve got one hell of a pretty voice.”

 

Colour flooded Seungmin’s cheeks at the sudden compliment, causing Hyunjin to melt a little on the inside. “N-nobody was supposed to hear that. Jisung and Minho hyung are supposed to be the ones who can sneak up on people. I didn’t know that you could do it to.” Twiddling his thumbs to try and distract himself, Seungmin didn’t quite know how to react to Hyunjin’s fixed stare upon him.

 

“Why wasn’t I supposed to hear it? You should let more people hear it. You’re really talented. You should sing something with Woojinnie hyung.”

 

“No. I don’t like singing in front of others. It’s just something to get myself through hard times. I used to do it a lot in Siwan’s house when I was alone. I use it to clear my head if I’m annoyed or upset or-”

 

“-if one of your idiotic friends happens to make you cry because they hurt you?”

 

A tiny smile made its way to Seungmin’s face as Hyunjin made the observation while looking out over the city. “Yeah, that too.”

 

The shine of the city lights illuminated the darkening sky as the two boys glanced over Morthan. Hyunjin wasn’t particularly fond of silences and tried to think of absolutely anything to talk about when something suddenly hit him. “Minnie, I realise that you’ve never told me why you hold the class that you do and that I haven’t really told you why I possess mine.”

 

A confused frown caused Seungmin’s face to scrunch up. “You’ve told me. You said that your grandfather was a scientist and that you used to help him.” Seungmin didn’t protest when Hyunjin’s head fell upon his shoulder, the older boy exhaling deeply as he did so.

 

“I’ve told you and all of others half of my story. Lix already knows but that’s it.”

 

“Oh? Do you want to talk to me about it now?”

 

“If you want to listen to it. It may change your view of me a little bit though.” Seungmin wasn’t quite sure what it was but he could feel something shift inside of Hyunjin when he said this. The chill in the air swept around Seungmin’s ears and he pulled Hyunjin a little bit closer to try and shield him from the wind as the older boy began his story.

 

“I was exceedingly interested in science since I was pretty young. My grandfather being involved in that profession just spurred me on to pursue it as I grew up. The amount of time I spent with him was something I treasured very much. He taught me a hell of a lot of things that I would never have learned in school and I used to lap it up.”

 

Seungmin nodded his head before it fell on top of Hyunjin’s, making the Alchemist nestle into the younger boy’s warmth even more. “He had a very strict rule though. I was never to attempt anything unless he was with me, which made a lot of sense seeing as I was still a kid.

 

The air around them fluctuated slightly as Hyunjin shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. “We were alone in his lab one day and he was showing me how to create certain compounds. There was nitric acid and once I combined that with halogenated-” Hyunjin cut himself off when he noticed Seungmin’s confused gaze upon him, indicating that he could drop all of the scientific lingo since he would understand absolutely none of it. Seungmin admitted that read a lot but science had never been one of his favorite subjects.

 

“Uh, right, well to make things simple, when my grandfather wasn’t looking, I thought I’d be a smart ass and try mixing different chemicals together since I was so sure I knew what I was doing. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay attention to what was in one particular beaker and added some acid. The reaction was...unfavorable to say the least. The fume hood exploded. Glass and shrapnel flew everywhere. The fire it caused was suffocating and we barely managed to get out of there. My grandfather shielded me, he carried me out of there, so my injuries were fairly minimal but he didn’t get away unscathed. He suffered third degree burns and they were extracting glass out of his skin for hours. I can still hear him screaming, I can still remember the overwhelming stench of burning flesh.”

 

Hyunjin’s eyes glazed over for a moment as he recalled the memory that was obviously still fresh in his mind. “I was the cause of that, all because I was trying to show off. I visited him at home everyday after school to try and do as much as I could for my him because he still suffers a lot from the pain he endured that day. He can’t move around like he used to because he protected me. People say you learn from your mistakes, which I did but every time I see him, it just reminds me of how stupid I am. Being here makes me think that he must be struggling a little bit since I’m not around to help him. He always wears the biggest smile whenever I see him and I try to return it but sometimes it’s hard, you know?”

 

Hyunjin was tired and Seungmin could see that. He wasn’t tired because he had a long, hard day, it was the sort of tiredness that came from constantly having to slap a smile on your face and ensure everyone that you were alright, even though you weren’t. Hyunjin had always been the mood maker of the group, constantly keeping up morale and energy with the other members but today he had just snapped; the weight of his many troubles finally catching up with him and Seungmin understood. If he was being honest, he understood that more than anyone.

 

“Channie hyung said that Innie thought that the reason he had the class that he does was some sort of punishment and I kind of feel that way sometimes too. I continued to try and be invested in what I loved to do but I was always reminded of what I did and in here, that seems to be the case as well.”

 

“Jinnie, that sounds awful but you’re not stupid. You were a kid and you made an error in judgement. Why haven’t you told the others about this?”

 

“Like I said, they might look at me differently if they knew.”

 

“Well, you told me and it didn’t make me see you any differently.”

 

“Really?”

 

“No, the way that you shouted at me earlier did though.”

 

Hyunjin raised his head from Seungmin’s shoulder to begin apologising for his actions again before Seungmin grabbed his shoulders and steadied him. “Jinnie, it was a joke, I was trying to get the tension out of the air. Thank you for telling me about it. If there is anything else you ever want to talk about, just let me know.”

 

Hyunjin grabbed Seungmin’s hand and began to stroke it as a form of thanks for his support. He thought that maybe Seungmin was right as, after he had told Seungmin about his past, his chest felt just that little bit lighter, even if the guilt was still there. “Now, it’s your turn.”

 

“My turn?”

 

“Come on, Minnie. An eye for an eye and all that.”

 

“I don’t think your using that idiom correctly but alright, I’ll tell you.” This time, it was Seungmin’s turn to lay his head down on the older boy’s shoulder, something he thought he had become exceedingly comfortable in doing.

 

“I’ve mentioned that I spent a lot of my childhood in the library reading and that was because I was never any good at making friends. I was very much an introvert and had pretty terrible social anxiety, not that any of that has particularly changed. A lot of the other kids thought I was weird and kept their distance.” Seungmin didn’t look particularly bothered by the fact that he had lived a pretty lonely life in his early years but Hyunjin moved into him a little bit more nonetheless.

 

“As I got older, my parents were pretty set on me getting into a prestigious college, not that they pushed me but they constantly dropped hints that I should keep my grades up, never really asking me what I wanted to do. They’re both high up government officials, so following in their footsteps was kind of expected. I think Changbin hyung said something along the same lines when he explained where his class came from.” Hyunjin thought back to how Changbin said that his parents had expected him to take over the family law firm, even though he had always wanted to become a doctor.

 

“I spent a lot of time at home alone because of their work, so the loneliness did rear its head every so often. Not that it was all bad, I became pretty independant. I learned how to cook, clean and pretty much take care of myself before I became a teenager.” Although Seungmin was positive when talking about how he grew up, to Hyunjin, it seemed rather sad that the younger boy had to live his childhood years in solitude.

 

“My class, however, probably comes from the fact that I was bullied pretty horribly in high school. Having such a high social standing, keeping to myself and having impeccable grades made me a pretty big target for those who thought I was too much of a teacher’s pet. My belongings being stolen, being tripped up in the hallway, getting stuffed into lockers; all in a day's work for those guys. Everyday they made a note to tell me that I wasn’t good enough, that there was a reason that I was alone and nobody wanted to hang out with me. After hearing stuff like that for a long time, it does make you start to think that they have a point.” Hyunjin’s blood began to boil at the thoughts of someone treating Seungmin like that and he began to admonish himself even more when he thought back to how he had acted towards him earlier in the day.

 

“I kept a smile on my face to show that it didn’t bother me, even though it did, just a little bit. Pretty sure that’s why I’m an Illusionist. Creating a fake atmosphere and all that. Since they focused in on me so much, nobody wanted to get close to me in case they became a victim too. It was like I didn’t exist to the other students around me. Hence, how I’m able to become invisible. So, now you’re pretty much up to speed with me and my past.” Seungmin’s fake smile made its way to his face as he looked to Hyunjin, who quickly placed his arms around him.

 

“You always seem to talk about how much Innie has suffered, which I don’t doubt but it seems you’ve gone through a hell of a lot too, Minnie. Seriously, don’t sit still and take my crap anymore. Speak up more often and I will most certainly listen to you. Oh, also, I didn’t say it before but since I mentioned him, please don’t ever feel that you have to choose between me and Jeongin. I love Innie with all my heart and I would never want him to lose his best friend because of me. I’m glad you went with him today instead of coming with me. Did his training go well?”

 

Seungmin went onto summarize Jeongin’s training, telling Hyunjin about his wisps and the fact that he had managed to summon a Banshee, even if it was only for thirty seconds. Hyunjin looked just as lost as Seungmin did when he had begun to talk about the scientific elements that he had used, so Seungmin also explained the types of spirits that Yugyeom had talked about with the two boys. After their lengthy talk, with Hyunjin apologising profusely again, both boys headed back into the city, in much better spirits and feeling a little bit closer than they had before.

 

* * *

 

“They’ll be safe up there, right? It’s getting kind of dark. Should we go and look for them? No, we shouldn’t interrupt but what if something happened?”

 

“Hey, mom, come away from the window. It’s not even nine yet. They’ll come back when they’re ready.” Chan turned to glare at Changbin as he sat on the ground playing cards with the other boys.

 

“Stop calling me mom...Binnie.” Changbin’s head shot up at Joomi’s pet name for him and he made a move to stand up and fight Chan, fire in his eyes.

 

“I’ve never heard someone call you Binnie before, hyung. It’s cute. Binnie hyung? Can I call you that from now on?” Changbin had always hated the nickname but who was he to deny Felix when he made such a simple request? Woojin and Chan’s knowing looks caused him to stutter ever so slightly before simply nodding towards Felix, slumping back down to his seated position.

 

The door to the bedroom creaked open to reveal Hyunjin and Seungmin; the jovial atmosphere of the room suddenly turning cold once all of the boys turned to look at them. Seungmin laughed with incredulity at the boys’ glares before moving forward. “Woah, down boys. He apologised, we’re all good. We had a nice long talk and we went to train for just a little while which is why we’re a little bit late. Sorry, Woojinnie hyung, Channie hyung.” Seungmin bowed a bit towards the eldest boys, almost as if he knew that they had been fretting over their absence.

 

“I still have to apologise to all of you guys though. I acted terribly today. I took my anger out on Minnie and some of the rest of you too and for that, I am extremely sorry.” Bending down to a ninety degree angle, more apologies fell from Hyunjin’s lips before the atmosphere of the room regained some of its brightness as the others accepted his apology.

 

Upon returning to a upright position, Hyunjin noticed that one pair of eyes were still set firmly on the playing cards in their hands. Walking over and bending down to place his chin on his head and arms around his neck, Hyunjin began to sway side to side. “Lixie, you’re not still angry with me, are you?”

 

“Yeah, actually, I kinda am.” Hyunjin detached himself to move even further down to the floor to look Felix in the eyes.

 

“You are? I apologised, Lix and I really meant it!”

 

“I’m not still angry about how you acted, though that did really piss me off. I’m angry that I finally managed to summon a beast and give it a command and you weren’t there to see it.”

 

Hyunjin was on his feet in an instant, almost losing his balance as dizziness engulfed his head from standing up too quickly. “You did what?! Lix, that’s freaking incredible! And I missed it?!”

 

“Yeah. To think, if only you hadn’t been such an ass to Seungminnie, you could have been by my side. Think of that as your punishment.”

 

Before Felix could stop him, Hyunjin was securing him in a headlock and digging his knuckles into his platinum locks, causing high pitched screams to fall from the younger boy. The rest of the boys on the floor joined in on the playful torture, mostly aiming for Hyunjin to try and avenge Seungmin, who was also laughing at the scene in front of him. Woojin and Chan could only look on at the hyperactive boys rolling around the floor. They let it continue on for a little while longer until Jeongin banged his head of the leg of the table, causing Woojin’s belongings to fall out of his bag that was placed on top. Jisung and Changbin were out of the room before anyone knew what was happening. They had endured Woojin’s wrath already today and they sure as hell weren’t going to go through that again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Seungmin is singing is Never Enough from The Greatest Showman, I've had it on repeat lately and it's the prettiest song ever. I would literally sell my soul for one of the vocal line to sing something from the movie which is why I used it for Seungmin. See you all next week!


	20. Your friends will believe in your potential, your enemies will make you live up to it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hope you're all doing well! I've been told to make my author's notes less menacing compared to last week! So, I won't say anything more! Enjoy everyone!

The last time Jeongin had disappeared without letting Chan and Seungmin know where he was going, it had resulted in quite a stern lecture from the Illusionist but knowing that both of them were fast asleep in their beds made the youngest boy think that he shouldn’t disturb them. Hopefully, leaving a note on his bed would suffice and avoid any panic. Jeongin grabbed his trainers, careful not to disturb Hyunjin sleeping on the opposite side of the room.

 

After everyone had returned to their rooms the previous night, Hyunjin had sat Jeongin down on his bed to apologise to him personally. Everyone had obviously known what went down between himself and Seungmin and he knew that Jeongin was very protective over the Illusionist so, even though he had said that he accepted his earlier apology, Hyunjin still felt the need to reiterate his feelings.

 

“Innie, I just need to make sure that you know that I’m not trying to drive a wedge between you and Minnie. I kinda lost myself in the moment yesterday and I cruelly used your friendship against him to try and make him see my point. So, please don’t think I’m trying to take him away from you. I’m not, I would never do that and I hope you know that. I love the both of you so much and again, I’m really sorry.”

 

Jeongin did know. In fact, he knew more than he had ever previously let on. “I get it, hyung. I know you would never do something like that. I know you love us, although, I think you love Seungmin hyung in a different kind of way.”

 

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, would you look at the time? Better go to bed. You wouldn’t want to be exhausted when you fight Seunghyun tomorrow. Nighty night, hyung.” Jeongin did his best not to burst out laughing at the shock that crossed over Hyunjin’s face. Small, incoherent babbles spilled from the older boy’s mouth, trying to form sentences to ask the youngest boy what he had meant.

 

The morning light hadn’t started to flood through the window quite yet but Jeongin was more than awake, having already decided that he would be heading to the training grounds alone. Stepping out into the frosty morning air, Jeongin hugged his jacket just a little bit closer to try and trap the heat that kept him from freezing to death. He looked at his watch, the time now being slightly obscured by the condensation beginning to form on the face. 5:56 am. He had purposely woken up early so that he could get in some training before he would have to eat breakfast and travel to the stadium for the third day of the tournament with the rest of the group. He was excited but also slightly agitated after hearing about the type of man that Seunghyun was and what he had forced Felix and Hyunjin to go through. His own demon was dead but Hyunjin would have to come face to face with his today and try to hold himself back from killing him. Jeongin had managed to restrain himself but just barely, thanks to Seungmin. The silence of the city was eerie to the Necromancer since he had been so used to blending in with the crowds that roamed the street during the daytime but now, there was nobody.

 

“Innie?”

 

Jeongin was afraid that the shrill scream that he let out would wake the slumbering residents of the city as he quickly covered his mouth and cowered ever so slightly. However, he knew that there was no need to fear whoever it was that had called him since only the members of his group ever referred to him by that particular nickname. When he turned, his cheeks were suddenly held by frigid fingertips, making Jeongin recoil at the uncomfortable sensation against his warm skin.

 

“Minho hyung, how long have you been out here? Your hands are like ice.”

 

Minho retracted his fingers, stuffing them firmly inside the pockets of his parka and smiling affectionately towards Jeongin and his unimpressed expression. “Couldn’t sleep. Went for a walk about an hour ago and was just coming back when I saw you heading out. Where are you going? And on your own? I don’t think the rest of your hyungs would be very happy about that. In case you haven’t noticed, you’re the baby that everyone has to take care of. That’s what Channie hyung told all of us anyways.”

 

Jeongin didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult and the unreadable look on Minho’s face didn’t help Jeongin figure out whether he had been joking or not. “I’m going to the training grounds and I would have told the others but they’re all sleeping and I didn’t want to wake them. I left a note, I’ll be fine. Inside of the city walls is safe enough. There are guards stationed all over the place.”

 

Thinking that he had made enough reasonable points, Jeongin bounced back and forth on his heels, waiting for a response from the older boy. Minho’s thoughts were displayed on his face before he even spoke.

 

“Be that as it may, I don’t think I feel very comfortable letting you go on your own. Is it ok if I tag along? I’d actually quite like to see some of your spirits. Plus, if Chan hyung and Woojin hyung discover that I let you out of my sight, they will literally rip my heart out.”

 

Minho took Jeongin’s soft giggle as confirmation that he could accompany the young Necromancer to oversee his training. Once there, Jeongin shed his comfortable duffle coat as the heat was more than adequate inside of the tent. The reason that he wanted to come here so early in the first place wasn’t because he needed the practice but because he had actually come to enjoy using his powers and gaining more control over them. Yugyeom had complimented him on his steady and rather rapid improvement the night before, stating that he had come to have a lot of discipline and control over the spirits that he had managed to summon so far. The turnaround that Jeongin had experienced was unusual since he had promised himself never to use his abilities unless he had to when he was still a resident within Siwan’s house. However, after receiving both the training from Yugyeom and support from his hyungs, especially Seungmin, he was beginning to see all of the possibilities that had suddenly become available to him. He would no longer have to be protected by others; he could shield himself but more importantly, he could defend those that he cared about that surrounded him.

 

“So, Innie, what spirits can you actually summon?” Carefully settling down on the floor, Minho crossed his legs beneath himself and placed his chin in his hands, waiting to see how much the Necromancer had progressed.

 

“Uh, well, I’ve pretty much gotten the hang of the will-o’-the-wisps. They’re rather easy to summon since they’re so small and don’t require a huge amount of energy. When I was with Yugyeom hyung and Seungminnie hyung last night, I managed to call a Banshee but it didn’t last very long. However, I still controlled it before I sent it away, so that’s something.” Jeongin had never been one for boasting but the fact that he had managed to get the hang of this so quickly made him feel rather good about himself.

 

Once Minho gave the go ahead, Jeongin stepped into the ring and started off easy by calling a wisp forth. The little spirit came alive immediately, bouncing around Jeongin’s shoulders as if it was happy for its presence to be requested by its master. Jeongin bopped the ghost with his head as a greeting, smiling as the light flew around his feet before rising all the way back up to float in front of his eyes. Minho became slightly confused when Jeongin pulled the little wisp close and began to whisper before he gave it a command to float over to him. He held out his palm, gently grasping the ghost before its hue shifted from a blazing blue to a brilliant orange and a echoing voice spilled from it.

 

_“Minho hyung, did you know that wisps can deliver messages if I order them to?”_

 

Minho looked over to Jeongin, who was grinning widely at his achievement, making the older boy scoff slightly at how quickly Jeongin had managed to advance in just a couple of days. “No, I didn’t know that, Innie. That’s very impressive, you should be very proud of yourself.”

 

“Thank you. Ok, guess I’ll try the Banshee again. Ready?” The glowing wisp evaporated from Minho’s hand, allowing the older boy to focus on Jeongin calling forth his next spirit. Within a couple of seconds, a ghostly woman appeared in front of Jeongin, tears flowing from her abrased eyes. The young boy greeted her with a bow, obviously being told by Yugyeom that this is what was required to establish an interdependent relationship before she returned the salute.

 

Minho took in the spirit in front of him and felt a slight sense of fear rise up from his stomach, though he had no idea why. It could have been her appearance but Minho had come into contact with far more frightening things than the woman in front of him. The sickly feeling increased once he locked eyes with the Banshee and the ghost slowly made her way towards the spooked boy on the ground. Jeongin became slightly alarmed since he hadn’t given her a command and tried to follow the Banshee but stopped when she bent down to Minho and took his hand in hers, slowly stroking it as she began to sing.

 

Neither of the boys knew what she was saying as she was singing in a language with which they were not familiar but both could feel the emotion dripping from her words. Her harrowing gaze was fixed upon Minho as she continued and he began to feel extremely uncomfortable. When she had concluded her song, she leaned into Minho, her quiet voice barely above a whisper. Minho was relieved that she was inaudible to Jeongin and that he wouldn’t be able to hear what she said next.

 

_“Child, death surrounds you but not in the same way that it encircles my master. It consumes your soul and it eats away at your light. You have so much blood on your hands. Mo grá, I have seen the spirits of those you have slain. All deserved their premature deaths but your first was not within this world. It was unintentional, a tragedy.”_

 

Minho could feel a cold sweat beginning to fall down his back as his eyes widened at the spirit in front of him and her apparent knowledge about his past. This was a game, all of it an illusion, so there was no way that this woman could have known anything about his actions in the real world. His stomach clenched and he felt like he was going to be sick. Minho couldn’t take anymore and jumped up, ripping his hand from the tender hold placed around it. Jeongin rushed forward, afraid that the Banshee had done something to him after he had lost control and sent her away immediately.

 

“Hyung, are you alright? I’m sorry, she broke free of my control. Did she harm you? What did she say?” Jeongin grabbed the hand that had been released by the Banshee moments ago as he tried to meet Minho’s eyes, making sure that he was not hurt in anyway.

 

“I-I’m fine, Innie. I don’t know what she said, it was in the language she was singing in earlier. Uh, you know what? Since I was up so early, I think I’ll head back and try to get some shut eye before we travel to the stadium. I’ll let one of the others know that you’re here, so stay and train for a little while longer if you want but don’t walk back on your own, ok?”

Before Jeongin could actually give a response, Minho was stumbling out the door into the morning air. Jeongin was sure that the Banshee had whispered something to Minho though he hadn’t heard what she had said. Whatever it was, it had caused Minho to turn pale, all colour draining from his face as his body trembled. If Minho didn’t want to tell Jeongin what it was, then he wasn’t going to push his hyung for an answer but the older boy’s reaction did worry him. Jeongin once again called his wisp forward, playing with the little ghost until the sun had risen and Felix and Jisung popped their heads into the tent to collect the youngest boy and head out for breakfast.

 

* * *

 

The electricity within Hyunjin bounced off of those who surrounded him. The reason for his enthusiasm was obvious to Seungmin but he tried to calm the older boy down, suggesting that he shouldn’t expend all of his energy before the match against Seunghyun even started. Jisung and Changbin followed suit, with the Thief rubbing Hyunjin’s shoulders while giving him a small pep talk and Changbin reminding him that Felix was safe, since that was the source of the Alchemist’s rage. The support of his friends made Hyunjin laugh, letting them know that after what happened yesterday, he was no longer in the same place with regards to his anger. He had come to an acceptance that no matter how the match today turned out, he would finally let go of the spite that had been eating away at him without his knowledge.

 

“Team five. Let’s go.” Seungmin bounced up, pulling Hyunjin up along with him as it was now their turn to show Seunghyun what they were made of. Having trained for a short while last night, Hyunjin had informed the younger boy all about Seunghyun and his Trapper class. It was the reason that he and Felix had managed to ambush and attack so many innocent travellers during their time with the man. Seunghyun had a knack for laying traps and confining people until they gave him what he wanted. Most of his snares were invisible to other classes, which is why he was so successful in many of his attempts. Because of this, Hyunjin warned Seungmin that it was very important to be aware of everything that was happening around him. Something that didn’t even seem relevant may be the cause of their downfall. Seunghyun’s partner, another from his group who went by the name of Hajoon, held the class of Archer, which they knew a little about already, especially since Seungmin had a similar weapon but didn’t know the specific abilities that came along with the class.

 

Seungmin noticed that Hyunjin had a similar habit to Felix of bouncing his leg up and down when he was agitated. He poked the older boy’s cheek to gather his attention and draw his gaze towards him. “Why are you so nervous? We’ll do great. Even if we lose and I’m not saying that we will, but if we do, we can at least put up one hell of a fight to show him that you never needed him or his stupid group. Let’s do this, Jinnie.” Seungmin held his fist up to bump and once Hyunjin had calmed himself, he returned the smile being presented to him as he bounced his own fist off of the younger boy’s.

 

The crowd cheered as the two groups stood in front of one another, not knowing the deep history that they shared. The grin on Seunghyun’s face showed how cocky he was, thinking that he had already done enough to win the fight. Hyunjin thought that since Jisung and Changbin had heard what he had said to Seungmin in the ring yesterday, perhaps Seunghyun had too and was smiling at the fact that his presence alone was enough to send Hyunjin over the edge and drive a wedge between the two friends, not knowing that they had reconciled in the lateness of last night. Nothing was said between the two teams, both simply staring each other down, their eyes glowing with malevolence.

 

The blue haired referee made his way between the two teams, giving them a chilling smile before asking both if they were ready. Once he had confirmation that they were, he stepped back and called for the match to begin.

 

Neither of them moved as they tried to assess the situation in front of them. Both boys had watched Seunghyun and Hajoon’s matches and tried to work their strategies around what they had seen. They were sure that this is probably what Seunghyun had done too. In one fluid movement, Hajoon drew his bow from his back and took aim, noticing that Seungmin mirrored his movements exactly. Both let their arrows fly through the air with Hajoon’s hitting off of Seungmin’s shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards. However, the Illusionist’s arrow hit Hajoon dead on in the chest, knocking him flat on the floor. Hyunjin had just enough time to grin at the younger boy’s skill in taking down someone whose class centered around the weapon that they were both using.

 

Taking advantage of the situation that Seungmin had created, Hyunjin sprinted towards the still form of Seunghyun and began to detach a vial filled with tear gas to throw towards his former leader. He seemed to have forgotten his own advice of keeping an eye on his surroundings since as soon as he entered Seunghyun’s space, his eyes were obscured by smoke. Hyunjin surmised that he must have set off one of the man’s traps, presumably a smoke bomb that would disorientate him. Trying to clear his lungs of the suffocating vapour that clung to his chest, Hyunjin attempted to steady himself before he heard something whistle past his ear. He knew that Seunghyun’s weapon was a pistol and that, like Seungmin, he had been assigned non-lethal bullets but this didn’t stop the fear from invading his body when he began to think back to how Felix had been injured in the exact same way.

 

Finally freeing himself from the smog that Seunghyun’s trap had created, his arms were quickly dragged behind him and held in place by one of Hajoon’s hands, his free one coming to rest tightly around his throat. “Hyunjin, it’s been a while. You’ve improved a bit but you’re still no match for Seunghyun.”

  
Hyunjin rolled his eyes at the arrogance in Hajoon’s voice but no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t seem to loosen the painful grip that the older man had around his arms and neck. Through the clearing smoke, Hyunjin desperately searched for Seungmin and Seunghyun, his eyes zeroing in on the two fighting a short distance away from him. Seungmin was doing his best to dodge the incoming punches thrown at him by the man and seemed to be a decent job at holding him off. Hyunjin noticed that because he was trying to defend himself, he couldn’t focus enough to stop and create any illusions that might help him. Hyunjin became slightly concerned as he began to wonder why Seunghyun had told Hajoon to focus on him instead of doing it himself. After the way he had tried to rile him up a couple of days ago, Hyunjin thought that Seunghyun would jump at the chance to fight him but instead, he was attacking Seungmin, someone he had no connection to in any way. Hyunjin’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard a small cry of pain emanating from the fight in front of him.

 

Seungmin stumbled backwards, trying to cease the blood now flowing from his nose as one of Seunghyun’s punches finally made contact. At the sight of blood, Hyunjin made a strong tug to break free of Hajoon’s hold but to no avail. All he could do was watch as Seunghyun’s fist once again laid into Seungmin’s face and then it hit him. This was exactly what Seunghyun wanted, for him to be forced to watch once again as his friend was hurt in front of him, knowing that he could do absolutely nothing about it. A physical hit would hurt way less than the emotional turmoil he was trying to afflict the boy with.

 

Seungmin was swiftly knocked to the ground as he tried to focus on anything but his aching face. He quickly tried to rise from the dusty ground but was immediately pinned down by his opponent. His already rapid heart rate began to increase when he felt hands secure themselves around his neck and he began to recollect how this motion was always followed by horrific pain in the past. Seunghyun’s grip tightened and Seungmin came to the conclusion that the man was no longer interested in keeping to the rules of the tournament.

 

“See, kid? I told you that I wouldn’t forget about the little show that you put on in the waiting area. People don’t make a fool out of me and get to walk away from it unharmed. The fact that you’re friends with those little cowards is really just an added bonus. I couldn’t care less about winning this tournament anymore. I hold more power in this world than I ever did back home, so why the hell would I want to go back? You know, Hyunjin’s reaction to seeing one of his friends being hurt was interesting but how much would it change if he was forced to watch one of them being killed in front of him? Would he lose control? I’m curious to see.”

 

Legs kicked furiously as Seungmin was beginning to feel deprived of air. His nails dug into Seunghyun’s wrists, drawing blood, as he tried to free himself from the man’s murderous grasp but he knew that he more than likely wouldn’t succeed due to the weight difference.

 

People in the stands were beginning to shout, obviously not impressed with the way Seunghyun was throwing the ‘non-lethal’ part of the competition out of the window. Chan and Woojin were on their feet within seconds, already pushing people out of the way to make their way down to the ring and try to break up their worst nightmare appearing in front of their eyes. Backstage, Jisung and Changbin were jumping up to intervene, even though they were sure that they would be disqualified if they were to interfere with the match. The referee’s whistle blared throughout the arena to signal the end of the match but Seunghyun paid it no mind, obviously set on getting his revenge for Seungmin’s embarrassing little act earlier in the week.

 

Hyunjin couldn’t take anymore, throwing his head back to hit and hopefully break Hajoon’s nose. The man shrieked, letting go of Hyunjin’s arms and beginning to cradle his injured face. The Alchemist didn’t even give him so much as a backwards glance as he ran towards Seunghyun and grabbed his collar to drag him off of his friend. Once he was on the ground, Hyunjin only saw red and began to lay into the man with every ounce of fury that raided his body. He thought of all the times he had wanted to do this to the older man in the past. When they had screwed up on a mission and Seunghyun had forced him and Felix to watch the members of the group of bandits eat dinner as they went to sleep hungry. When they had received a slap or two to the face after stupidly trying to talk back when the man made an invalid point. When Hyunjin had been cradling Felix in his arms after the psychopath had used his weapon against him. And now, he had harmed Seungmin. Enough was enough.

 

He was beginning to lose the ability to distinguish between reality and the darkness of his memories as his fists came into contact with Seunghyun’s face. Hitting the man on the ground over and over and over again, Hyunjin didn’t care about the calls for him to stop behind him. Seunghyun laughed through the strikes that Hyunjin produced, the euphoria of the situation overcoming the pain. Only when Jisung and Changbin grabbed his arms to pull him off Seunghyun did Hyunjin stop, though the hostility within him did not disappear. He yelled curses, insults and anything else he could think of that would harm the man since he could no longer hit him. The blood splattered on his face was obscuring his vision but Hyunjin didn’t care about any of that, he just wanted Seunghyun to stop laughing.

 

“Ah, so you were able to throw a decent punch, it just took the right leverage to get you to snap, eh? Man, I should have done something to Felix ages ago if it had gotten you to fight like that!”  

 

The referee, along with the other three judges, came to stand in the middle of the pandemonium that had been caused by Seunghyun, almost grinning at the commotion that hadn’t yet ceased. “Both teams are hereby disqualified for improper conduct.”

 

The competition was now the last thing on anyone’s mind; everyone still trying to take in the horrifying scene that had just taken place in front of them. Jisung and Changbin were still trying their best to restrain Hyunjin as he tried to lunge forward towards Seunghyun. The man was now being dragged up by two guards as they quickly hauled him backstage to deal with him and possibly punish him for his murderous attempt.

 

Once Seunghyun was out of sight, Hyunjin snapped back to the present, realising that he had been so focused on the man that he had forgotten about his victim. Finally freeing himself of Jisung and Changbin’s grasp, he hastily made his way over to Seungmin, hearing his cries as he drew closer. Two Medics were trying to treat him but were deterred as Seungmin fought them off, tears streaming down his face. Chan and Minho were doing their best to calm him but he wasn’t heeding their soft praises and reassurances. Hyunjin bent down in front of him, grasping his wrists to try and stop him from lashing out at his friends.

 

“Minnie, look at me. It’s alright. We’re here to help you.” No matter what Hyunjin tried to say, Seungmin wouldn’t listen, thrashing as he felt the contact on his skin. Only when the Alchemist remained silent did he hear what Seungmin had been crying.

 

“I’m sorry. I’ll do better. Please, I’ll do better, just stop.”

 

Hyunjin suddenly realised that even though Seungmin was sitting right in front of him, he was no longer here. The younger boy’s mind associated intense pain with one place in particular and that was Siwan’s house. His trauma had caused him to slip back into his memories and feel like he was back in the grim prison in which he had spent far too many months. Seungmin was so sure that it had been someone come to harm him again when it was his friends surrounding him to comfort and assist.

 

Gently cupping Seungmin’s face in his hands, Hyunjin let out a deafening roar which startled all those around him. “Minnie, look at me!”

 

Seungmin’s head snapped up to stare at Hyunjin, his eyes immediately filling with tears of relief, replacing the terrified ones he had shed moments ago. “Jinnie? I-I-”

 

Once he saw that Seungmin had escaped from his mind, Hyunjin quickly pulled him forward into a tight hug and gently rubbed his back, glancing at the red imprints around the boy’s neck. Chan moved forward to run his fingers through the young boy’s hair as Minho moved behind Hyunjin and grasped one of Seungmin’s hands to carefully stroke it. Woojin held Jeongin close, the youngest boy leaving out distraught sobs at the sight of his friend being hurt once again. Kneeling down beside Hyunjin, Felix began to rub the back of his neck as he kept Seungmin close, knowing full well how the older boy must be feeling. Chan eventually convinced Seungmin to let a Medic look at his wounds but Changbin quickly stepped forward, insisting that he be the one to treat the younger boy.

 

“Hyung, it’s ok, you have to save your energy for your match.” Changbin could see that Seungmin’s eyes had become raw from crying, their colour now matching the marks left on his throat.

 

“It’s alright, Seungminnie. You’re far more important to me than some stupid match. Take a deep breath for me, alright? This might sting just a little bit.” Placing cool hands on his throat, Changbin winced when Seungmin flinched away from the contact, showing how much the already bruising injuries hurt him. The Medic’s mending capability eased the aching around Seungmin’s neck and Hyunjin just wished that he could do the same for his heart. The Alchemist couldn’t help but think that this scene held many similarities compared to the first time he had met Changbin and the other boys. The Medic was there once again to help his friend who he was unable to protect, unable to shield from the psychopathic man’s tendencies.

 

Throughout the past few days, if there was any sort of interruption to the steady flow of the matches, the crowd would voice their opinions in the form of shouts or booing but they remained silent after watching the scene in front of them, more than likely still shocked about the treatment of the two young boys by the older men. Once Changbin was satisfied that Seungmin would be alright, he offered a hand to the younger boy and carefully pulled him up before placing a protective arm around his waist, with Felix immediately running to support his left side. They helped Seungmin backstage so that he could rest, with all of the other boys following right away.

 

Hyunjin trailed behind, lost in his own thoughts. A gentle brush across his cheek caused him to look up and meet eyes with Jeongin as the youngest boy carefully cleaned his face of his enemy's blood. Nothing was said between the two of them as Jeongin continued his work until Hyunjin’s face was blemishless.

  
  
“Hyung, I’ve learned from experience that Seungminnie hyung will get really angry at you if you blame yourself for his injuries when it wasn’t you who caused them so, just a piece of advice, don’t even think that you had anything to do with them, ok?” In that moment, Jeongin held an air that made him seem wise beyond his years. Hyunjin knew that he was all but forced to throw his childhood away while being held prisoner back in Aquiria but he had never seen this particular side of the boy before. The Alchemist began to feel like their roles were being reversed, that he was now the maknae being comforted by one of his hyungs and wondered if the confidence that Jeongin had gained from being able to control his powers had spread to his overall certainty in himself that allowed him to speak to Hyunjin with such determination.

 

The humour in Hyunjin’s laugh disappeared before it left his mouth, showing Jeongin he was grateful for his words of support but also relaying that it would take a lot more than this to make him forgive himself for what he had allowed Seunghyun to do to their friend. All made their way to the waiting area, earning glances of sympathy from the other contestants. They could already hear shouting coming from further into the room where they saw Jaebum and Jackson yelling at the judges that had been so lackadaisical in calling an end to the appalling match.

 

Jinyoung rushed over to the boys to make sure that both Seungmin and Hyunjin were not too badly affected. The Alchemist quickly waved him off with a sad smile before the older boy rejoined his members to admonish the judges.

 

“Stop it, Jinnie.”

  
  
The soft voice that called out to him held a stern tone, making him feel like a child that had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. Meeting Seungmin’s eyes, Hyunjin couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath when he saw that even after Changbin had administered first aid, the reddish bruises resembling fingertips still remained around the boy’s neck.

 

“I can see you starting to blame yourself already and I swear to god, I’m going to deck you if you say this was your fault.” Moving away from Changbin, Seungmin shuffled over to Hyunjin and pressed their foreheads together, whispering ever so lightly. “Seunghyun came after me because I made a fool out of him, though that didn’t take very much effort.”

 

The agony in his head was overwhelming but Seungmin knew he had to overcome it to show Hyunjin that he had nothing to worry about; he had endured pain far worse than this anyway. Something that became very apparent to Seungmin over the time he spent with the Alchemist was that he was an extremely sensitive person, not just with regards to his own feelings but towards others as well. After something like this, he knew that the older boy would immediately shut down and recede back into himself, taking the blame even though he was not the cause. So, he tried to act like he was alright, like the pain in his head didn’t make him feel like passing out.

 

“You slipped. You thought you were back in Aquiria, back in Siwan’s house. Minnie, you looked so scared.”

 

When Seunghyun’s hands had descended on his neck, Seungmin admitted that his mind automatically wandered back to the time after his performance in the festival where Siwan had taken his anger out on him. That’s what his mind associated with a vicious grip on his throat and it had dragged him back to that moment. Huffing slightly, he captured Hyunjin’s hands in his and swung them ever so gently.

 

“I did but you brought me back. You helped me break free from the voices in my head. I’m ok, Jinnie, honestly. Don’t worry. Ah, I guess we’re out of the competition though, huh?” That caused Hyunjin to look even more dejected than he already did, silently apologising for his actions that crushed Seungmin’s wish to proceed as far as they could.

 

“Hey, we did our best. We managed to get to the top twelve and that’s a great achievement seeing as I didn’t think that we’d make it past the first round. We always held the mindset that we were here to test our skills and have fun. So, don’t apologise, Jinnie. _You saved me, in more ways than one._ ” His final sentence was whispered internally as Seungmin guided Hyunjin to the floor and placed his head on the boy’s shoulder to relax, ignoring the screaming pain that flowed throughout his head as he craned it to fit into Hyunjin’s neck. Chan and Woojin felt the need to surround them and let them know that they were safe but saw that their posts were already being covered. Jeongin curled up beside Hyunjin, the older boy pulling him closer. Felix dragged Seungmin forward, obviously wise to the soreness emanating from his neck. He maneuvered the slightly younger boy so that his legs rested over his, with his head now positioned on Hyunjin’s lap as the older boy carefully stroked his hair.

 

Jisung and Changbin were soon called away to complete their match, being slightly reluctant to leave the two boys who had now dozed off. Minho quickly ushered them off with the promise of watching over them and keeping them safe. It took all of five minutes for them to return after winning their match. They didn’t bask in the celebration that was being thrown for them as they were more than concerned about their members backstage. The shouting coming from the opposite side of the room soon ceased as the group of young men came to join the others.

 

“Changbin, we spoke to the judges. They said that they’re going to suspend the tournament for a day so that they can look into what happened and they’ll announce it at the end of the matches. I know it’s probably more of a formality than anything else but we can’t do much more. Things shouldn’t have escalated the way that they did today. They also just told us that Seunghyun was taken downtown by the guards and that he’s going to be punished for what he did to Seungmin, so you won’t have to worry about any of them coming into contact with him again. At least, not for a while.” Youngjae clutched the Medic’s hand gently, conveying his feelings of pity and concern for his friend and his group.

 

Placing a supportive hand on Chan’s back, Bambam gazed at the boys huddled together on the floor. “Hey, how are they doing?”

 

“As well as they can be considering the circumstances, I guess. Me on the other hand?” Chan let out a laugh that didn’t manage to mask his pain from the young man.

 

“Oh, Channie. I know this is something you won’t want to hear but you can’t protect your boys from everything in Phantasm. You do your best but that’s the whole point of this world, to drag you down. You’ve managed to guard all of them so far and from what Changbinnie has told me, all of you have gone through a hell of a lot of crap. Don’t start doubting yourself now, you can’t afford to do that.”

 

Chan knew that Bambam was right, he had to stay strong for the other members, especially in a time when they were all feeling so down. He needed to think of something to make them forget all about what happened today and ease their worries.

 

“Bambam, can I ask you a favour? You think that you could distract the kids for like a half hour and then walk them home for me? I need to leave with Woojin for a while.”

  
  
“Uh, sure, Channie. I can do that.”

 

“Great. Ah, if it’s alright, I might need to skip training tonight and you might want to tell Yugyeom that Jeongin won’t be there either. Just for tonight.”

 

The Paladin nodded his head, confused but intrigued at the playful glint in Chan’s eyes. As quickly as he could, Chan grabbed Woojin’s hand and led him out of the exit; none of the younger boy’s noticing that they had left.

 

* * *

 

“Goodnight guys. Take care of each other, all right?”

 

Minho held the door open as the rest of the group waved goodbye to Jaebum and the rest of the older boys that had delivered them safely back to their dwelling. The rigidity in the air hadn’t disappeared as the group walked home, all eyes falling to the darkening stains on Seungmin’s fair skin. After Hyunjin and Seungmin had woken up, Bambam had told them that Chan and Woojin had already left, surprising most of the boys since they were always so protective and would usually want to make sure that they didn’t make their way back to the inn alone. It made a bit more sense when Bambam told them that he was to escort them in their place but they couldn’t figure out why they had left them alone in the first place.

 

It all came together when the boys knocked on their bedroom door and received a reply to enter. Glistening, multicoloured fairy lights decorated the ceiling as their glow shined down upon them. Numerous bowls filled with jellies, popcorn and other snacks were placed around the floor, calling the group to dive in and devour them. Towering over them was the fort that both Chan and Woojin had created from the blankets and pillows that had obviously been taken from the other rooms in which the boys resided since it was so humongous. The two eldest members’ smiles as they reclined on the fluffy cushions and hid behind the makeshift door alleviated the slightly sour mood that had entered the room along with the younger members.

 

“Ah, you made it. Welcome to our fort. It is the safest place in the world. Countless have attempted to enter but many have failed. Unfortunately for you, if you wish to join us, tortuous questions will be put to you, to which you must provide a sufficient answer. Are any of you brave enough to volunteer to go first?” Glancing around the room, Chan saw Jisung’s hand shoot up as he smugly walked forward.

 

“Hit me, Channie hyung. Ask me anything!”

 

“Jisungie, what are Seungminnie’s best qualities?”

 

“What?”

  
  
“You heard me. What are Seungminnie’s best qualities?”

 

Jisung’s head whipped around to look at the red headed boy whose eyes were blown wide at the question. “Uh- I- he’s-”

 

“You have ten seconds, Jisung or you will be forced to go next door and never be allowed within the most awesome fort ever created.” Woojin propped himself up on his elbows as the Thief began to flounder at the question.

 

“Um, well, I think Seungminnie is pretty shy and quiet-”

 

“Ok, I don’t really think that you’re grasping the point of this exercise-”

 

“-but! Once he becomes comfortable with you, he’s the funniest, most captivating person. He cares about everyone so much, even more than he does about himself. I don’t know if it’s because we’re the same age but I feel like I can talk to him about anything. Maybe it’s because he exudes such a calming aura that he holds such an air of reliability. If I’m being honest, I don’t think Seungminnie has any bad qualities.”

 

Everyone stood in awe of the Thief and how eloquent he had been with his compliments for the Illusionist. Jisung bounced back towards Seungmin and slung his arm around his shoulders. “That’s what I think about him and I’m extremely glad that he joined our team.”

 

Satisfied with Jisung’s answer and the warm smile it had drawn on Seungmin’s face, Woojin ushered him forward. “Congratulations, you’ve passed. You may enter.” Jisung immediately detached from the boy and dove towards the numerous pillows on the floor before stuffing a handful of gummy bears into his mouth.

 

“Seungminnie, you’re up! Minho’s best qualities?” The line of boys were asked for the leading characteristic of different members of the group, with everyone receiving a compliment to make their day just a little bit brighter after sitting in darkness after the matches. Minho had called Woojin ‘the most caring teddy bear in the world’, earning himself laughter from all of the other members and a slight push from the Bard. Jeongin didn’t know how to react to being called ‘the cutest baby maknae’ by Chan and blushed fiercely as the others began to coo and pinch his cheeks. Once they were all on the floor, they huddled together and began to inhale the food that Chan and Woojin had so kindly bought for them.

 

“Channie, this was a great idea. Look at how happy they are.” Seungmin, Felix and Minho were having a little bit of trouble in understanding the rules of the Animal Kingdom game that was being explained to them but eventually got the hang of it, with all of them falling into convulsions of laughter when Jeongin forgot what animal he was supposed to be, earning him a flick on the forehead from Hyunjin.

 

“I’m full of great ideas. I know it’s going to be hard Woojin but try not to fall even more in love with me than you already are. I can’t help it that I’m so wonderful. Try to restrain yours-” It seemed that Woojin had a new way of keeping Chan quiet; not that Chan was complaining about getting kisses from the other. In fact, he might just have to keep talking if he received a peck everytime he rambled on too much.

 

“What just happened?”

 

“Are you two kidding me?”

 

“Did Chan hyung and Woojinnie hyung just kiss?”

 

“Oh, come on, Felix. You can’t seriously say that you’ve never noticed how they’ve acted.”

 

“Of course I knew! I just didn’t know they were sucking face now!”

 

“Gross, Lix. Can’t you say it with a bit more finesse?”

 

“Well, I didn’t know that they were together!”

  
  
“That’s why you’re the dumb one, Jisungie.”

 

“Oh god, it’s like watching your parents make out.”

 

Chan and Woojin watched the delirium unfold in front of them as the younger boys scooted away, gagging and retching at the newly discovered couple. Rolling his eyes at the others’ melodramatics, Chan laid down on Woojin’s chest and began to playfully throw the popcorn that hadn’t yet been touched into his mouth. “At least I wasn’t too much of a coward to admit how I felt about the person I love. I can’t say the same for everyone here.”

 

Most of the boys jumped to their feet immediately, afraid that Chan was about to spill some embarrassing secrets about the feelings that all of them held, though none of them were entirely sure if he had been talking about them specifically. Felix was the first to dive on top of the Knight, with seven other boys hurriedly following suit until they were stacked up in a pile. Chan attempted to apologise for threatening to reveal their secrets but couldn’t be heard over the deafening laughter that left all of them. They were most definitely going to be getting a noise complaint in the morning but none of them cared. Chan thought that if they managed to forget about the distressing events of the day, even for just a little while and were able to enjoy themselves, then it was worth it. To Chan, they were worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you were all leaving little comments like "oh I can't wait to see Seunghyun lose and get his ass handed to him!" I was just quietly sitting here tapping on the keys like "aha, yes, that's exactly what's going to happen...." Whoops? Sorry!


	21. We didn't realise we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this is it. This is the fluffiest chapter you will ever get out of my cold, angsty heart. Cherish it while you can! Enjoy!

Plans are a fascinating thing, so subject to change. Since the tournament would not continue until the following day, the group had decided to simply relax and perhaps explore the gigantic capital city that boasted so many interesting outlets. Nobody had the energy to dismantle the fort that the elder boys had built; not that anyone had particularly wanted to since it made all of them feel like little kids, so they all slept in the same room once again. With the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with them, they eventually had to halt their game of charades once they realised the reason that Seungmin and Jisung were no longer guessing what Chan was trying to convey was because they had fallen asleep. Jisung had let Seungmin’s head rest safely on his shoulder and placed possessive arms around his friend’s waist to let everybody know that he was not to be taken away from him. Chan had been trying to act out the ‘Avengers’ movie and was rather proud of the Groot impression he was managing to pull off, not that it mattered anymore.

 

The delicate light of the morning sun was managing to peek its way through the faded curtains, causing Changbin to groan and flip over onto his opposite side. Even though the makeshift fort that Chan and Woojin had built had indeed been substantial in size, it did take a little bit of maneuvering to fit all nine boys within its walls. Changbin had attempted to free Seungmin from Jisung’s grasp and move both of them into a more comfortable position but after the Thief had opened his eyes to glare at the Medic, he thought it best to leave them as they were. Hyunjin’s back met with Minho’s chest as the older boy tried to protect the Alchemist from his own harmful and intrusive thoughts disturbing him in his sleep. He knew what it was like to have ideas about yourself constantly attacking you when you were in a bad place, blaming yourself for things you had no control over, so he was going to help the younger boy through it if he could. Felix was face down in one of the fluffy pillows, obscuring his light snores as he pulled Chan’s arm closer to him to comfort himself. Woojin’s shirt was slowly being blemished by Jeongin’s drool as the younger boy rested upon his chest. To them, this was bliss but it was soon disrupted by loud knocking on the door.

 

It continued until a collective groan fell from the group’s lips. Chan thought that perhaps this was the complaint from the owner of the inn that he had been expecting. They hadn’t become any quieter as the night went on, laughing and yelling until they couldn’t anymore. Hopping up to cease the banging that was causing a blunt headache to form in his head, Changbin turned the brass doorknob to face the scolding that they were all about to get.

 

“Mark hyung? What are you doing here?” The sleep still in the Medic’s eyes made him think that perhaps he wasn’t seeing things clearly but when he heard the Gunslinger laugh, he knew he wasn’t mistaken.

 

“I’ve come to collect all of you. Before you ask, no, you’re not allowed to know where we’re going. Come on, you’ve got fifteen minutes to get ready and be waiting at the front door. Cool fort by the way.” The young man gestured to the mess of blankets and bodies that littered the floor behind the Medic, all of the boys now becoming a little more alert after hearing Mark’s amused voice. After ruffling Changbin’s hair to garner an annoyed grunt, Mark left the group of boys to get ready.

 

“Changbin, what was all that about?” Quietly closing the door behind him, Changbin shook his head to show Chan that he was just as puzzled about what was in store for them as the rest. They had just enough time to freshen up and dress themselves, quickly running into the shared bathroom to make sure they didn’t look like they had slept in a ball on the floor.

 

Standing in front of the mirror, the reflection that stared back at Seungmin wasn’t one that he was unfamiliar with. He had seen this boy before, back in Siwan’s house, bruises scattered on his skin. Maybe that’s why it didn’t bother him as much as it should have, like it bothered all of his friends. He cursed the fact that he had become so used to seeing himself like this but knew that there was nothing he could do about that now. Changbin had used his magic again this morning to pretty much erase any pain that he felt but the purple bruises were going to be staying around for a little while longer.

 

Emerging from the bathroom, being so lost in thought, he almost collided with Minho who was waiting his turn. “Ah, sorry, hyung.”

  
  
“No worries. Seungminnie, wait a second.” Pulling the boy to face him, gentle hands carefully wrapped a thin, woolen scarf around Seungmin’s neck, masking any sort of evidence that anything questionable had happened to the boy.

 

“I know you’re acting like you’re ok for all of us and maybe you are ok but I want to let you know that it’s alright to break. You’re not a robot, you’re allowed to show weakness, especially to all of us.” Making sure the fabric wasn’t too restrictive, Minho tenderly patted it down so that it hugged Seungmin just enough so that he became comfortable. “Even if you are fine, I know bruises like that can make you feel self conscious, so you can borrow my scarf for a little while and return it to me when you don’t need it anymore.”

 

A genuine little smile found its way to Seungmin’s lips before he lightly moved forward and rested his forehead against Minho’s shoulder, the older boy wrapping his arms around his waist to soothe the Illusionist’s uneasiness. “Thank you, hyung. I appreciate that but I am fine, really. I think you might need to look after the others more than me. I can handle myself.”

 

“But you shouldn’t have to. Anytime you need help, Seungminnie, just ask. Even if you think you’re inconveniencing us, you’re not. If you still don’t believe that, then I’m telling you right now that you can never bother me, so if you ever need advice or anything, then come to me and I will do my best to help, alright?” Minho felt Seungmin’s head bob up and down against his chest to show that he understood. “Good. Now, my time to use the bathroom is nearly up so I’m going to go wash up before Lix starts yelling that it’s his turn. Remember what I said Seungminnie. Anytime, ok?” Once again, Seungmin nodded with a grateful smile for his hyung’s support.

 

When they finally managed to make their way downstairs, perhaps a few minutes later than they were told because Hyunjin had to change his pants after eventually realising the reason they had been so short was because he had put on Changbin’s instead of his, they found all seven members of the older group to be waiting outside of the inn for them.

 

“Ah, you finally managed to get your asses down here, huh? Do you realise how long we’ve been waiting?!” Changbin scoffed at Jackson’s mock anger as the young man glared at them with an impish glimmer in his eyes.

 

“Well, seeing as Mark hyung came to our room at 9:02 and it’s now 9:23, I would say that you’ve been waiting exactly twenty one minutes.”

 

Jackson’s face fell as Yugyeom and Bambam laughed through their noses at their former member. “What the hell happened to my baby Changbin? Where has this disrespectful young man in front of me come out of? He used to be so cute and agreeable. He would do absolutely anything that I’d say. He’d squeal so happily when he managed to master a new spell. I miss him…”

 

A mischievous grin spread across Jisung and Felix’s faces, both boys bouncing up to Jackson to inquire about Changbin’s adorable past. “Jackson hyung, tell us more about Changbin hyung. Ah, sorry, tell us more about baby Changbin.”

 

Woojin thought that if he hadn’t been holding onto the Medic and restraining him, he probably would have ripped Jisung’s throat out for the use of his pet name. He furiously tried to get free of the Bard’s grasp but to no avail, which annoyed him greatly.

 

“Oh, well, I have a hell of a lot of stories. Gather round, children. One time, when we were duelling, I may have _accidentally_ sent a rather forceful spell towards Changbin and knocked him flat on his ass. He scraped his knees really badly in the fall and the amount that he pouted and cried was just-”

 

“Hyung! I swear to _fucking_ god if you say anything else to them, I will come for you in your sleep!” Changbin felt a slight knock to the top of his head and knew that it was Woojin’s warning to watch his mouth. It was already too late to stop the raucous laughter that was falling from Jisung and Felix’s mouths as they begged Jackson to ignore the mild death threats and spill even more secrets about Changbin.

 

“Listen, you guys can talk all you want while we’re walking to where we need to go. Come on, everybody follow me.” Jinyoung waved his hand above the group to indicate that he would be the leader in their little expedition.

 

Hyunjin moved to the front of the pack to fall beside Jinyoung once he was sure that Seungmin was being looked after by Chan and Jeongin. “Hyung, where exactly are we going? Mark hyung didn’t say when he came to the room to collect us.”

 

“He probably said that you weren’t supposed to ask too, right?”

 

“Uh, yeah, I guess he did say that. Sorry, never mind.”

 

Examining the downcast expression on Hyunjin’s face, Jinyoung slung an arm over his shoulder and pulled him in as they walked. “I can tell you, Hyunjinnie but it has to stay between us until we get there, alright?”

 

Hyunjin brightened up at the mention of the secret they were about to share and nodded emphatically to let Jinyoung know that the mystery would be safe with him.

 

“Hyunjinnie, did you know that Morthan has the best amusement park in Phantasm?”

 

* * *

 

The sound of happiness could be heard before they even entered the gates of the theme park that Jinyoung and the others had led them to. When the youngest boys finally realised where they were going, their faces lit up at the thought of all they were about to experience. Jaebum made his way to the ticket counter, waving Woojin off when he tried to give him coins to help towards the entry fee.

 

“This is our treat. We brought you here to enjoy yourselves and let the kids be kids again. No thinking about the tournament, no concerning yourself about getting home, no worrying about the ‘what ifs’ that can occur in the game; just forget about everything for today and you can go back to normal tomorrow. We’ll leave you to have your fun.”

 

Rushing through the turnstiles, Jeongin and Felix gasped as they tried to take in the flowing colours and music that resonated throughout the amusement park. Before they could even register the sights around them, the aromas of cotton candy and hot dogs bombarded their senses, making their stomachs grumble seeing as they hadn’t had a chance to get breakfast this morning. The volume of the screams and laughter from the visitors were matched only by the rides which whooshed past the boys who couldn’t wait to spend the entirety of their day here. Chan could already see that they wanted to bolt as fast as they could to try everything that this place had to offer but before they put a foot forward, he grabbed onto the two boys’ collars.

 

“Ah, ah, ah, hold on one second. We are going to set some very specific ground rules here. All of you, gather up and listen. You’re not going anywhere until you all agree to the terms and conditions that I’m going to set out.” Woojin couldn’t contain his laughter upon hearing the collective whines that radiated from all of the younger boys at the thought of a long lecture about safety, though they quickly shut up when they saw the severe look on Chan’s face.

 

“First of all, nobody is to wander around on their own. We’re all staying together and we all keep an eye on one another, understood? Secondly, nobody is to leave the park by themselves. Thirdly, if you get lost or separated from one another, meet back here at the entrance. Next-”

 

“Channie, this is an amusement park, not a battlefield. They’ll be fine. He’s right on one thing, don’t wander around on your own. Other than that, off you go.” Woojin could almost see the dust tracks as all of the boys took off to explore the park with Chan calling out for them to be careful.

 

“You’re such a worrywart, Channie. They’ll look out for each other, as they always do.”

 

“To be fair, I think I have plenty of reasons to justify why I worry about them so much. You think Seungmin is alright? I wonder if Hyunjin is still upset. Innie’s eyes looked a little bit red from crying so much yesterday. Maybe we should go after them.” Stepping on his tippy toes, Chan tried to find the others over the crowd of people and call them back but was instantly pulled back down by strong arms that wrapped themselves around his neck, with Woojin placing a light kiss on his cheek.

 

“Nope, today, you’re all mine. The kids will be fine without us for a couple of hours. You’ve always told Innie that you were childish and this is the perfect place to put that statement to the test. Come on, let’s go.” Maybe Woojin had a point. The others would be fine without them for a little while. The Knight couldn’t help but unleash his giddiness as Woojin entwined their fingers and led him to towards the sparkling carousel. He would have to thank Jaebum later on for allowing him to finally spend some time with Woojin alone.

 

* * *

 

“Oh my god, this is, without a doubt, the best day of my life!” Passers-by looked slightly concerned at the pure volume of Jisung’s screams as Hyunjin told him to shut up and Changbin bowed in apology for his friend disrupting the peaceful ambiance of the park.

 

“Christ, Jisung. We’ve gone on one ride and you’re acting like a kid that’s been eating sugar all day. Calm down, it’s not like you’ve never been to an amusement park before, right?” They had decided to let each member choose a ride which they were to visit since, this way, everyone could get to where they wanted to go without separating from each other. As much as they enjoyed teasing Chan, they had no intention of making him worry any more than he already did about them. Hyunjin huffed as he watched Minho wobble slightly when Jisung began to move around a little too much. The Thief had hopped on the older boy’s back after they had emerged from the flume ride in which all except Jeongin got completely soaked.

 

“Nope, I’ve never been to one before so my excitement is very much valid.”

 

“What? You’ve never been to one before? How is that possible?”

 

“Well, I just never really got the chance. Didn’t have anyone to take me.”

 

Sometimes Hyunjin felt that he had a special talent for putting his foot in his mouth. He knew all about Jisung’s past, so when the Thief looked slightly disheartened and almost embarrassed at his confession, he began to feel like a complete and utter jackass. “Oh, right. Sorry, Jisung, I didn’t mean-”  

 

“I know, Hyunjin. Don’t worry, just forget about it. We came here to enjoy ourselves, right? So, let’s do that!”  

 

Speakers blared cheerful tunes as they progressed towards the gigantic ferris wheel that stood in the centre of the vast plaza. The line was relatively short so it didn’t take much time for them to make their way to the front and begin to take their seats.

 

“Minho hyung, are you not coming on with us?”

 

Jeongin’s question caused all of the boys to turn around and face Minho, who was lazily leaning against the bollards leading up to the entrance. “Nah, I’m good. You guys go on ahead. I’ll wait for you here.”

 

“Hyung, come on! You can’t skip out on this! This ride was my choice. You should sit with me, let’s go!” Guests began to scoot their way around Jisung to get on the ride that was beginning to fill up rather quickly. Jisung had been set on riding the ferris wheel with Minho and began to drag the older boy along with him to take a seat until he was very forcefully pulled back.

 

“Really, Jisungie, it’s ok. Go on ahead with the others.”

 

“Hyung, it looks like it will be so much fun. Innie, Seungmin and Hyunjin are going together and that means that I’ll be sitting by myself because there is no way in hell I’m squishing in beside Lix and Changbin hyung! I can’t take their lovey dovey crap anymore! Don’t make me sit on my own!”

 

“Jisungie, I can’t. I-”

 

“Hyung, please…” The nasally whine that left Jisung’s lips indicated to Minho that no matter what he said or did that he would not be winning this war and eventually nodded his head to show that he conceded defeat. The flimsy belts that were secured around their waists did nothing to help Minho’s fingers stop fidgeting with themselves as the ferris wheel slowly groaned into motion. Jisung tapped his feet to the rhythm of the slightly disturbing carnival music that was playing as they made one full motion on the ride. He could hear Seungmin, Jeongin and Hyunjin giggling a few seats in front of them and was relieved that all of them seemed to be enjoying themselves after what they went through yesterday. Even though he had pleaded with Minho to join him on the ride, he didn’t have time to pay attention to the older boy as he gazed out at the view of the entire park that he could see when he reached the top.

 

Jisung wondered why anyone who had ever been on a ferris wheel before would want to come down from a place that allowed you to feel like you were flying. He knew the others probably wouldn’t want to go around again since there were so many other attractions to see but the Thief could already tell that this was going to be his favourite ride that he would visit today. The ferris wheel suddenly came to an abrupt halt as it started to let people off, leaving Jisung and Minho sitting at the very top, which Jisung was more than happy about. The panoramic, picturesque view took Jisung’s breath away when he leaned forward as if trying to get a better look at the surrounding area. Finally coming down from his euphoria, the Thief wanted to share his thoughts on the wonderous view with Minho but felt a sense of alarm sweep throughout his body when he saw the state the other boy was in. Jisung tried to get his attention but had a little bit of trouble since Minho’s eyes were screwed shut. Nails indented themselves into the older boy’s palms as his knuckles turned white from grasping onto the safety bar a tad too tightly. The tremors that were coursing throughout Minho’s body forced Jisung to gently hold onto his arm and softly call out his name.

 

“Minho hyung, what’s the matter? Do you not feel well?” Jisung could see that Minho was struggling to find words that wouldn’t make the boy fret any more than he already was about his current condition.

 

“N-nothing’s wrong, Jisungie, I’m fine. Are you enjoying the ride?”

 

A rather strong gust of wind came flying towards them, rocking their seat and causing Minho to let out a rather pained cry, instantly making the pieces fit together within Jisung’s mind. “Hyung, are you scared of heights?”

 

“Scared of heights? No, no, of course not. Like I said, I’m fine.”

 

“Hyung?”

  
  
Minho knew to drop his act when he heard the concern in Jisung’s voice. Cautiously opening his eyes, Minho tried to focus on Jisung’s face rather than the sizable drop to the ground below. “I’m not scared. I’m fucking terrified.”

 

“Hyung, why didn’t you say that earlier?! I would never have asked you to come on if I realised that!” In his exclamation, Jisung unintentionally rocked the seat again, making Minho latch onto his wrist as a both a warning not to move around excessively and a plea to keep him safe.

 

“You said that you didn’t want to ride on your own. You seemed so excited, I didn’t want you to be disappointed.” Jisung couldn’t believe that Minho was acting like this; that he had done something that terrified him so much just so that he wouldn’t feel alone. The ferris wheel began to move again just a little bit before stopping to let another group off. Placing a hand on the elder’s cheek, Jisung guided Minho’s head to the crook of his neck, so that he could try and shield his eyes from what scared him so much. Shivers ran down Jisung’s spine when Minho’s breath brushed against his skin and the older boy latched onto his arm like it would ground him and keep him from falling.

 

“Hyung, it’s ok, I’m here.” Minho’s hair was soft to Jisung’s touch as he ran his fingers through it to try and calm the boy’s uneven breathing. He knew that the best course of action would to keep Minho talking so that he didn’t have time to focus on where he was and rattled his brain to try and think of a topic to discuss as they began their descent.

 

“Hyung, when was the last time you came to an amusement park?”

  
  
Head still buried in Jisung’s neck, Minho shook it as he replied. “I’ve never been to one either, Jisungie, just like you.”

“Really? You’ve never been either? Huh, I guess we got to share a first experience of something together then. Where do you want to go next? I’m going to guess something that stays firmly on the ground?” Jisung could feel the smile against his neck when Minho began to laugh as he snuggled into the warmth that the Thief’s affection radiated. The boys discussed what rides interested them the most before they finally came down to the ground and met the others who were waiting for them, with Minho’s legs feeling a little bit too wobbly for his liking.

 

“So, where are we going next? Do you guys wanna eat or...?” Felix scanned the group for an answer and couldn’t help but focus in on Jeongin as the boy wore a rather disturbing smile.

 

“Nope, we’re not going to eat yet. It’s my turn to choose where we go and _that_ is what I want to do.” Pointing to the rather sizable building just to their left, Felix and Hyunjin gulped as they took in the terrifying atmosphere that the house exuded. One would think that after all of the horrors they had faced in the game that a little, old haunted house would be child’s play. However, one would be wrong.

 

* * *

 

Chan didn’t know if he really wanted Woojin to see him throwing up but after riding the rollercoaster that had been so aptly called _‘Insanity’_ , he wasn’t sure if he could hold it all in. Perhaps eating before going on that particular ride wasn’t the smartest idea that had ever entered the Knight’s head.

 

“Channie, are you ok? You look a little green. Do you need to go to the bathroom?” Woojin loomed over Chan’s crouched form, rubbing his back as others looked on in pity, apparently knowing the feeling of wanting to spill your guts after riding that particular monstrosity of a roller coaster.

 

“I think I’ll be ok if I just sit for a couple of minutes. You know, to stop my head from spinning so much.” The park bench that they made their way to was just off the beaten track, allowing them to momentarily escape from the noisiness of all of the other guests. Chan could feel his stomach constantly swirling, the bile beginning to rise up his throat before he willed it back down. Closing his eyes to focus on his breathing and not puke everywhere, it took him a few seconds to notice that Woojin was no longer at his side. It had become a common feeling for Chan to instantly become concerned when someone from his group was no longer beside him. This game had changed a few things within him, things that he knew would never return to normal if they were to ever get out of this place. He only managed to panic for about five seconds before he saw Woojin walking back to him with a water bottle in hand.

 

“Here you go, love. You look like you need it.”

 

Chan accepted the bottle gratefully, his eyes fixated on the older boy as a smile threatened to pull his lips upwards. Woojin felt the air shift and became slightly unnerved when he noticed Chan ignoring the bottle in his hands and simply staring at him.

 

“What?”

  
  
“Love?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, do you not like it when I call you that? I won’t do it again, I just thought-”

“No, no, I never meant to insinuate that I didn’t like it. It’s cute that you call me something that you don’t use for anybody else.” The colour creeping up Woojin’s neck was obscured by his hands as he began to rub it, his embarrassed smile causing Chan to momentarily forget about his upset stomach.

 

Slowly sipping the water, Chan rested his head on Woojin’s shoulder, the other’s arm pulling him in a little closer as they watched people pass by. Couples strolling along hand in hand chatted and giggled, their overflowing fondness reaching everybody around them as they walked. Groups of friends roughhoused as they made their way to the different attractions, trying to come to a unanimous decision on where to head next.

 

“Channie, if- no, _when_ we get back to the real world, do you think that everything that happened here will still stand?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You and me, will this keep going? Will we keep the promise to look after our boys once we’re out of here? Do...do you ever think about the possibility that we might not remember anything when we get out? What if they makes us forget about all of this so that they won’t be punished? What if we forget about each other? What if you forget about me?” The spinning in Chan’s head had eased but had not completely disappeared, so when he rushed to raise his head to look at Woojin, he faltered a bit before steadying himself.

 

“You’re really worried about that?” It was never a thought that had occurred to Chan but Woojin had spent a lot more time in this world and had apparently spent plenty of that time thinking of all of the possible outcomes that could occur once they were freed from this place. A slight thump in Chan’s chest made him feel nervous at the thought of such a thing happening but knew that he had to reassure Woojin when he saw the trepidation crossing over the elder’s face.

 

Turning the Bard to look at him, Chan placed his forehead against Woojin’s, planting a small kiss on the top of his nose. “There is absolutely _nothing_ in this world or the real one that could ever make me forget about you. I’m afraid that you’re stuck with me now. It’s going to take a hell of a lot to get rid of me. The same goes for our boys. I have no intention of letting them go, not for anything. Everything that happened in here will carry over. Don’t you worry about that.”

 

Woojin had never experienced anything like this before. Sure, he had been on dates and been in a couple of relationships but nothing compared to this. The heat rising up in his chest, the ringing in his ears, the feeling that the person sitting in front of him could build up or wreck his entire world with a single word was new to Woojin and he loved it. Joining their lips, Woojin smiled into the kiss, a silent form of thanks to the younger boy who he knew held the same devoted feelings as he did.

 

“Maybe we should go and look for the others now, huh?”

 

“Uh, I don’t think we need to. Looks like they found us.”

 

* * *

 

Felix remembered when he first met Hyunjin, how they had fought over the last bottle of soda that had been so easy to just take off of the shelf before making a run for it. Trying to look as nonchalant as possible, Felix grabbed the bottle, only to feel another hand pull it in the opposite direction. Both of them stared at each other with slight alarm as they feared someone had just caught them stealing; not that they were doing it because they wanted to. They had endured weeks with only staple foods to get them by and Felix had made a decision, albeit a poor one, that he needed a little bit of sugar to get him through this nightmare he was going through.

 

“Hey, mate, I had it first. You mind letting go? I can tell you right now that I need it a lot more than you do.”

 

“I really don’t think that you do. Now be a good little kid and hand it over.”

 

“I don’t think that I’m that much younger than you that you can be calling me a kid. Let go, don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

 

“And if I don’t? What are you going to do about it?”

 

Fire blazed in both of their eyes as they stared each other down before they heard the rather annoyed voice of the store owner calling out to them, obviously wise to what they were doing. Before he knew what was happening, Felix was being dragged out of the store by the other, running until their legs started to burn and wobble, probably due to the pathetic amount of food both of them had consumed over the last couple of days. Once they were in the clear, they flopped down on the ground, panting.

 

“Nice going, dumbass. Now neither of us has the soda,” Hyunjin spat, massaging his legs to try and loosen the muscles that were beginning to cramp up.

 

“Well, I do and I was going to ask if you wanted to share it but never mind.” Hyunjin whipped around to see Felix holding the bottle that was dripping with condensation due to the adverse heat of that particular day. Felix saw the elder begin to flounder, to try and find the words to apologise and perhaps share in the sought after beverage but quickly shut his mouth to preserve whatever little amount of dignity he had left.

 

Extending a hand towards him, Felix tiredly forced a smile onto his face. “I’m Lee Felix and from the looks of it, you’re in the exact same situation as I am.”

 

“Heh, Hwang Hyunjin. I wish I could say it’s a pleasure to meet you but you have the one thing that I want in your possession so, you know, it is causing a bit of tension to ruin this introduction.”

 

Laughing slightly, Felix offered the bottle to Hyunjin, who slowly sipped it and began to return it to the freckled boy who quickly stopped him and said that he really didn’t need it all that much. Upon Hyunjin’s insistence, they did eventually end up sharing while they got properly introduced. They talked for hours about themselves and how they came to be in the state that they were in. Hyunjin learned about Felix’s phobia and in turn, Felix learned about what happened with the Alchemist’s grandfather. Once they had spoken about the heavy stuff, benal things such as likes and dislikes surfaced. Felix told Hyunjin that he hated spicy foods, that he loved playing soccer and that he could play the piano, whereas Hyunjin boasted about how he was pretty good at dancing, that he talks in his sleep and that he had a dog named Kkami back home whom he absolutely adored. It was also on this night that both of them discovered that they were both terrified of horror films, so when Felix saw Jeongin pointing to the dreary haunted house, he knew that Hyunjin was dreading it just as much as he was.

 

“There has to be some way to get out of this without looking like complete cowards. We’ve been through things that are a lot scarier than this, Lix. You’ve been shot for pete’s sake! That place looks like a nightmare personified, though. What do we do?”

 

They were sure that they could actually hear the dilapidated house creaking from where they stood, making both boys shift uncomfortably from one foot to another. Jisung squealed something about seeing someone standing in the cracked window of the second floor, causing Felix to emit just a little whine. The broken sign by the door read _‘Beware! If you dare to venture inside, you may not come back out!’_ and as stupid as Hyunjin thought it was, he really didn’t want to take the chance to find out if that was true. By the time they made their way to the front door, which had claw marks down drawn down the front, neither Hyunjin nor Felix had come up with any sort of decent excuse to escape from going in with the others.

 

“Lix, you look a little nervous, everything alright?” Pretending to be so sure of himself, Felix nodded as Changbin wrapped his arms around the younger boy’s shoulders, squishing their cheeks together since he knew from his features that Felix was not especially excited about entering this particular attraction.

 

Walking onto the the dusty floorboards caused them to groan and bend under their collective weight. Flickering lights illuminated just enough of the space so that they could take in their surroundings. Cobwebs covered all corners of the ceiling as spiders, which Changbin hoped were fake, hung from little strings. They made their way down the hallway as a cold wind whistled past their ears, making Felix feel as if someone was breathing down his neck with rancid breath.

 

“So, anybody interested in a little bet?”

 

Hyunjin didn’t like where this was heading since he pretty much knew what was going to come out of Minho’s mouth before he even said anything.

 

“What did you have in mind, hyung?”

  
  
“Surely a couple of you are brave enough to face this thing alone? There’s a set path that you follow to exit the house but I’m sure that there will be a few surprises along the way if the screams we heard from outside are anything to go by. Anyone fearless enough to go ahead?” While the others had been enthusiastic about entering the haunted house together, the thoughts of traversing it alone became just a little bit daunting.

 

“Screw it, I’ll do it, hyung.”

  
  
“Really, Jisungie? You?”

  
  
“What the hell does that mean? Do you not think I’m brave enough? Maybe we should go back on the ferris wheel again.” The venom in Jisung’s tone as well as the challenging glint in his eyes told the older boy that he should be very careful about how he answered him back.

 

“That’s not what I meant. Ok, go ahead.”

 

“Hold on, you said this was a bet. What do I get if I make it through?”

 

“Uh, ok, how about this, if everyone makes it through by themselves, I’ll pay for dinner tonight?”

 

“Oh, hyung, you’re going to feed the six of us? Do you have thousands upon thousands of coins to spend? Ok, your loss.” What Minho had promised suddenly hit him and began to call Jisung back but he was already gone into the darkness of the next room.

 

Felix gingerly tapped Minho on the shoulder to gather his attention. “Hyung, do all of us have to go through on our own?”

  
  
“That’s the bet. Why, Lix? Do you not want to?”

 

“Of course he’ll go through on his own! Lix hyung, you can do this! Think of all of the money we’re going to make Minho hyung spend!”

 

“Yah!” Jeongin hid behind Felix as Minho raised his hand to swipe at the maknae, not that he was ever going to earnestly hit him.

 

Jeongin took off five minutes after Jisung, with Seungmin following shortly after. Hyunjin danced around in circles, trying to calm himself before Minho ushered him off. He glanced at Felix one last time, wishing him the best of luck in his endeavours. “Ok, Lix, you’re up.”

 

He didn’t want to do this. He _really_ didn’t want to do this but he was going to, for his friends. Opening the door to the next room, Felix shakily closed it behind him as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Metallic fumes hit his nose the moment he entered and made him wonder what the hell could be emitting such a horrid smell. He felt his way around the room, occasionally bumping into chairs and couches that had been placed around the area. Once his sight had become accustomed to the blackness of the place, he could make out the curtains rustling ever so slightly due to a draft that was managing to creep in from outside. He could now see the door through which he was supposed to exit but before he could reach it, he heard the scraping of a chair off of the floor that made all of his hairs stand on end. He was certain that nobody had been in the room when he had entered and that nobody had yet come in behind him. The pit in his stomach made him feel sick as he bolted for the door before quickly opening it and shutting it firmly once again.

 

This time, Felix was faced with a rather long, dimly lit hallway. He thought that at least he was able to see where he was going this time. Gorey paintings lined the walls as Felix stopped to examine some of them. Decapitated horsemen rode on their shadowy steeds, searching for revenge. Crying widows begged Death for their husbands to be returned to them. Skeletons dragged the living down to Hell to stay with them for all eternity. Felix truly didn’t know why he had been expecting anything different when he stopped to admire the awful pictures. Being so immersed in the paintings, Felix never noticed the pair of hands emerging from the floorboards to grab at his ankles and pull him downwards. The contact with his skin caused Felix to let out an ear piercing scream and make him curl up to protect himself.

 

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that until he felt another hand on his shoulder, making him yell out once again and turn to swipe at whatever it was that was coming for his soul. “Jeez, Lix, you have quite a pair of lungs on you.”

 

“Binnie?”

  
  
Changbin really hadn’t gotten used to Felix calling him by that particular nickname yet and the fact that other had been so scared that it caused him to forget to call him hyung caused Changbin to choke ever so slightly. Bending down to whack the hands that were beginning to emerge from the floor again away, Changbin guided Felix upwards, brushing the tears that were beginning to pool in the younger boy’s eyes.

 

“If you were so scared of this place, why would you agree to go by yourself, Lix?”

 

“Because Minho hyung said that he’d only pay if we all went alone.”

  
  
“He also asked you if you didn’t want to go. Nobody would have said anything if you simply said that you didn’t want to do it. Come on, we’ll ride the rest of this thing out together.”

 

They completed the remainder of the journey hand in hand, with Felix twitching ever so slightly when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Changbin could see the exit in the distance and was about to pull Felix along with him to leave when he noticed another hand emerging from the ground to wrap around his ankle. A loud scream resonated throughout the house as Felix’s foot came into contact with the now scrunched up fingers.

 

“Oh god, sorry! That was purely instinct! Whoever is down there, I’m so sorry!” The hand slithered away as light cursing could be heard from beneath the floorboards, though it was soon covered by Changbin’s unruly laughter.

 

“Lix, what the hell was that? You probably broke that poor person’s fingers. You didn’t have to react so violently.”

 

“I saw that they were going for you so my body just acted on its own. It was a jerk reaction to protect you. God, now I feel really bad.” Still calling out apologies to the person he had injured, Changbin looked on in admiration of the boy who was overcoming all of his fears for him. Felix actions just now were to protect him from an, albeit insignificant, threat but he had still managed to step over something that had scared him merely minutes ago. He had also agreed to try and control his beasts simply because Changbin had asked him. Fear would never be an easy thing to overcome. Changbin knew that everyone had something that they’re scared of, whether it was a fear of animals, the dark, clowns, heights, enclosed spaces, speaking to others or in front of them or simply the fact that how you felt about someone would never be reciprocated; Changbin knew about that very well. Yet, here Felix was overcoming his for Changbin.

 

“Hyung, can we go now? The exit is right there.” Changbin shook his head to clear it and nodded before he stopped Felix momentarily.

  
“Lix, you head out first and I’ll follow. That way, they won’t be any the wiser that you didn’t complete it on your own. They don’t have to know that we helped each other.”

 

The stars on Felix’s face lit up as the boy smiled and made his way out of the exit, where Changbin heard all of the other boys greet and congratulate him on completing the dreaded haunted house.

 

“That was quite sweet, Changbinnie.” Changbin was sure that the others waiting out by the door would have heard the scream he let out before Minho quickly covered his mouth to quieten him. “Shh, it’s only me, no need to burst my eardrums.”

 

“Hyung, why would you sneak up on me in a haunted house? What kind of reaction did you think I would have?! And what was sweet?”

 

“That you helped Lix through the house.”

  
  
“I didn’t help him, I just- guess we lost the bet, huh?”

  
  
“Don’t worry about it. I won’t let the others know that he didn’t go through by himself. I knew the moment he asked me earlier if he had to go through on his own that he was scared of this place. His secret is safe, I’ll still pay for dinner later. Now, you head out and I’ll wait a couple of minutes so that the bet still stands.”

 

Changbin huffed, glad that Felix wouldn’t be the reason that Minho cancelled the bet. “Thanks, hyung.” The Medic made his way out, closely followed by Minho before the youngest boys teased him about how he would be completely broke after trying to feed all of them later on. Minho would never know that Jeongin found Jisung having a slight panic attack after a fake spider dropped on his head and walked the rest of the way linking arms with the Thief or that Hyunjin had basically sprinted to meet up with Seungmin and begged him to guide him through the rest of the house, to which the younger boy agreed.

 

After trying a few more rides, they were well and truly exhausted. They grabbed a couple of bottles of water from a nearby vending machine, where they managed to spot Woojin and Chan resting on a bench nearby.

 

“Woojinnie hyung!”

  
  
“Channie hyung!”

 

The eldest boys grinned widely, welcoming back the other members with open arms which Jeongin and Jisung ran into.

 

“Did you guys have fun today? Nobody threw up did they?”

  
  
“A few mild panic attacks but no, nobody threw up. Why?”

  
  
A hand flew to cover Woojin’s mouth as Chan stumbled over his words. “N-no reason. So, there’s one more thing that I think we should look at that Bambam recommended before we leave. I have to get back to train with him and I assume Jeongin wants to do the same with Yugyeom, right?”

 

The youngest boy confirmed Chan’s theory with a bob of his head but was curious as to what Chan wanted to do before they returned home.

 

“I heard it was this way. Come on, follow me.”

 

* * *

 

The sun had finally disappeared beyond the horizon as the moon came out to play. Chan dragged the boys towards the edge of the park where a crystalline lake took up most of the area. A mob of fireflies illuminated the water as it rippled from the faint, gentle breeze. It seemed that whatever Chan had brought them here for wasn’t common knowledge, apparent from the shimmering emptiness of the space around the lake. The thin grass felt soft beneath their fingertips as they settled themselves on the ground.

 

“Channie hyung, what are we doing he-”

 

Seungmin was suddenly cut off as a rather heavy, fleece blanket was thrown over his head. There were a total of three that eventually enveloped the boys as they huddled closely together. Hyunjin’s neck was encircled by one end of Seungmin’s scarf as they moved closer to keep the warmth they had produced between them. Jeongin leaned forward to give them some space before Hyunjin pulled him back and began to gently tickle his side to show that he was not intruding. Jisung’s hair became tangled in Minho’s fingers as he played with it while younger boy sat between his knees and laid back on his chest to stare out over the shining water. After such a long day, Changbin was beginning to feel a little sleepy and rested his head on Felix’s lap to admire the younger boy’s face straight above him.

 

“Channie?”

 

“Hmm?” Snuggling into Woojin’s shoulder, Chan thought about the fact that he would soon have to leave all of them and return to train with Bambam. He enjoyed hanging out with the other boy and learning all about his new skills, which he was mastering quite quickly but spending time with his friends, the one he loved, his boys, nothing could ever be better than this.

 

“What’s supposed to be happening?”

 

“Just wait. It should start soon.”

 

Jisung felt Minho physically recoil when a loud bang echoed throughout the air as thousands of sparks erupted, obscuring the stars across the sky. Vivid colours danced across the blackness of the night as the fireworks continued their performance. The audible oohs and aahs coming from the young onlookers let Chan know that he had made the right decision in bringing them here. Bambam had pulled the Knight back before they had entered the park, letting him know about the best place to observe the late night fireworks and what a magical spectacle they were. If he was being honest with himself, Chan was more interested in taking in the looks of wonderment on the other’s faces rather than the display in front of him. Light zipped through the sky, whirling in a spiral or tumbling like a waterfall to the ground below. They stayed like this for some time, the magnificent exhibit lasting nearly ten minutes. Nobody wanted to move, to leave the comfort of each other’s arms but knew they would have to go eventually, especially those who would have to train and compete in the tournament the following day.

 

They left the park, with Jisung still wrapped within the fleece blanket as Changbin pulled him in to make sure he was warm enough as they made their way back. Chan knew that he would have to find some way to pay the young men who had allowed them to enjoy such a wonderful day back. They knew what all of them needed, even after only knowing them for such a short time and they were all exceedingly thankful.

 

Chan, Woojin, Seungmin and Jeongin left the others, with the Bard warning Minho to get all of them back safely once they had eaten.

 

“Hyung, we’re nearly at the final stages of the tournament. You think we’ll get to the very end?”

  
  
“Sure, Jisungie. Where has all of your confidence gone?”

 

“It dissipates when I’m cold. The blanket isn’t enough. Hold me, hyung!”

 

Changbin sidestepped just in time to dodge Jisung’s hug and began to sprint away from the boy when he began to give chase as they heard Minho loudly calling out to them.

 

  
“Yah! Both of you get back here! Woojinnie hyung is going to kill me if you get hurt or lost!”

 

“That’s your problem, hyung, not ours!”

 

Minho pinched the bridge of his nose at Jisung’s childishness and how neither of them took him seriously enough to heed his warning. “I’m not going to keep my promise to pay for your dinner if you keep running away from me!”

 

When Jisung tripped on his blanket and fell into a heap on the ground, Minho was sure he was going to get an earful from Woojin and tried to think of a way to possibly fake his own death so that he didn’t have to endure the Bard’s wrath. According to Changbin and Jisung, that was something to try and avoid at all costs.


	22. For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I'm so sorry...

After the tournament had been suspended, it seemed that even more people had managed to make it to the capital city to attend the final days of the competition. The deluge of people in the stands was truly a sight to behold as they tried their best to fit in beside each other to watch the spectacle of the fights. 

 

Hyunjin and Seungmin sat side by side, slightly down that they were no longer standing with Jisung and Changbin in the middle of the ring but after the day that all of them spent together yesterday, their spirits had been lifted exponentially. Rather than taking part in the matches, Hyunjin was just glad that Seungmin was still sitting beside him. He kept Minho’s scarf close around his neck, more as of a form of comfort than anything else. The tips of the indigo bruises still poked their heads up from the boy’s collar and the Alchemist felt the need to adjust Seungmin’s scarf to hide the injuries that made him feel sick to his stomach. 

 

“Jisungie hyung and Changbinnie hyung have their work cut out for them today. Their opponents have put up one hell of a fight in all of their matches.”

 

“They’ll be fine, they’ve fought really well in all of their matches too. Have a little faith, Innie.” Felix ruffled the youngest boy’s hair, garnering a small giggle. 

 

The final five teams stood in the middle of the ring. Since the pairings were no longer even, the judges had picked a team at random that would have to compete in two matches for this particular day. Fortunately, Jisung and Changbin had not been selected and would only have to complete one round to see if they could progress to the final three. It seemed a little unfair to them that someone would have to go through two matches, not that the judges cared about what any of them thought. They were all a form of entertainment and nothing more. 

 

The Thief and Medic were to go first once again, thankful that they wouldn’t have to spend all their time waiting backstage for their turn. Before returning to the waiting room, Bambam and Yugyeom gave encouraging words to the younger boys, wishing them the best of luck and saying that they would meet them in the finals. Changbin admitted he was a little bit interested to see how far his friends had progressed in the time he had been apart from them. He had observed them through a screen when watching their other matches but felt it would be an entirely different story were they to face them head on.

 

“Hyung, you don’t have any problems if we were to go up against Bambam hyung and Yugyeom hyung later on in the tournament, do you? Them being your friends wouldn’t affect how you would fight, would it?” Jisung poked and prodded at Changbin’s sides, making the older boy swat away the hands that were causing him to lose his composure. 

 

“Of course not, Jisungie. They’re my friends but so are you and I’m not going to let you down because of them. We will destroy them when we face them.” 

 

“Damn, hyung, alright. I like this fighting spirit you’ve got going on. But to face them, we have to get through today’s match first. You ready to do this?”

  
  
“Always, Jisungie.”

 

They steadied themselves as the judge moved between the teams. No matter how many times they saw him, his gaping eye sockets stirred the very centre of their souls. They knew that he was simply a proxy for those running Phantasm and wondered why they would design such a horrifying person to watch over the competition. Surely there wasn’t someone in charge who looked like this, so why couldn’t they have simply designed a regular human? Changbin guessed it was probably to see if they could evoke feelings of fear within them that might affect how they were to perform in their matches. 

 

“Seo Changbin and Han Jisung versus Park Sooyoung and Kim Junmyeon for a place in the final three. Whoever wins this match will be guaranteed one of the prizes up for grabs.” The crowd cheered at the thoughts of the competition finally coming to a close and seeing which of the teams would be crowned the strongest within Phantasm. 

 

“At the ready. Begin!”

 

Changbin and Jisung had known which team they would face as it had been announced along with the message that the tournament would be suspended two days previously. Sooyoung and Junmyeon had completed most of their matches with ease, with the majority of their enemies falling prey to Sooyoung’s charms. The perks of her Enchantress class were something that worked on both men and women alike. It didn’t matter who you were, her words were enough to turn family, friends and even lovers against each other. Once she met her opponent’s eyes and caressed their ears with her silky voice, most of the matches had been over since they could no longer fight back. Junmyeon on the other hand, held the Corsair class, which told Jisung and Changbin that he had some ties to the life of the sea in the real world. He held an decorated, antique pistol on his belt and if anyone ever managed to break free on Sooyoung’s control, he would instantly incapacitate them. Jisung actually really wanted to talk to the older man about his class as it interested him immensely but now was not the time. Now, they needed to fight like there was no tomorrow. 

 

“Hey, boys. Are you two best friends? You look pretty close. It would be such an awful shame if something or  _ someone _ were to tear you apart.” Sooyoung’s silvery words floated through the air towards Changbin and Jisung, causing them to try and block her out the best that they could, no matter how difficult it may be. 

 

“It’s kinda hard to resist her, hyung. I don’t know if our plan will work out like we thought it would.”

  
  
“Oh, you boys came up with a plan? You want to tell me what it was?” 

 

Jisung had been so focused on trying to keep his eyes away from Sooyoung’s that he never noticed how she had glided up to him and took his chin between her fingers. Jisung moved his hands up to grasp her wrist but there was no force behind it whatsoever. 

 

“Come on, tell me. Please?” 

 

Being this close to the Enchantress, Jisung could see her eyes shift to a soft rose colour that matched the lipstick she had worn for this particular day. The Thief’s face suddenly turned red and Changbin knew that he was losing his teammate. Before he could move from his spot, Junmyeon was already pinning his arms behind him and Jisung was spilling secrets from his lips. 

 

“We were going to take down Junmyeon first and then try to deal with you. We thought that you were more of a threat than he was and would be easier to take down if you were on your own.” 

 

Junmyeon scoffed loudly behind Sooyoung, obviously not impressed that he wasn’t being taken as seriously as his partner. 

 

“Oh my. Jisung, wasn’t it? You’re so good to tell me all of your secrets but I’m afraid that I can’t let you get any further than this. We’re going to the finals and I can’t let you st- st-” Sooyoung cleared her throat to try and rid herself of the lump that was causing her to have trouble speaking. 

 

“Ah, can’t find your voice? Pity. Changbin hyung is always telling me to read more so that I can better myself with regards to my class. I very reluctantly took his advice but I did learn something awfully interesting. Did you know that a person who holds a Thief class can steal things from others that you can’t even see? For instance, if someone comes into contact with a Thief physically, like you did when you grabbed my chin and when I moved my hand to your wrist, they can steal things that you never thought possible, things like your voice. We’re going to be going to the finals and there is nothing that you can do about it.”

 

Changbin let his energy explode within him, forcing Junmyeon to go flying backwards since he had been so preoccupied in watching his teammate claw at her throat. The Medic allowed a flash of white light to buzz towards the man beginning to make his way back up to a standing position, knocking his gun from his belt and causing it to fly across to the other side of the arena. Thinking that he didn’t need his weapon to win this particular fight, Junmyeon tried to use his fists to immobilize the younger boy. Luckily for Changbin, he had spoken to Hyunjin about hand to hand combat during their recent travels, with the Alchemist giving him tips and pointers on how to effectively use an opponent’s attacks against them. Dodging a left hook, Changbin maneuvered his way around Junmyeon to kick the back of his knee which caused him to falter and lose his footing. Jisung hadn’t been the only one to pay attention to Minho’s pressure point training. The Medic used his knowledge to quickly paralyze the Corsair’s movements and hold him in place so that he could no longer move and attack. 

 

Swiping his leg underneath Sooyoung, Jisung quickly pinned her down on the ground to deter her from reaching for her weapon to fight back. 

  
“Ah, ah, ah. I’m sorry but you’re done here. God, you’re voice is so noisy inside of my head. Anything that you’re trying to say is being projected inside of my mind and it’s beginning to echo. Um, no, I won’t go easier on you just because you’re a girl. Why would I do that? You’re far too dangerous for me to make that mistake. Oh, look. Here comes the referee. Looks like you’re out of the competition.” 

 

“The winners of round one are Seo Changbin and Han Jisung. Match complete.” 

 

Changbin let go of the unimpressed man beneath him and bowed in respect and consolation at the result of the match. He couldn’t believe that it had actually worked. Jisung had stayed up with him late last night to try and decide the best way to go about this match. The Thief had told Changbin all about the new skills he had learned, with the Snatching skill sounding like something that could be exceedingly helpful when it came to troublesome abilities like Sooyoung’s. Jisung said he wasn’t one hundred percent confident when it came to how he could use it since he hadn’t had a chance to try it out but told Changbin that if he could manage to get her to come into contact with him, then he could attempt it. Instead of protecting Jisung’s body with a shield, he had projected one inside of his mind instead; a skill that he had picked up thanks to one of the books he had bought while shopping with Woojin in Aquiria. Jisung would never fall prey to Sooyoung’s words once Changbin focused enough to defend him. However, this left him open to attacks, which is how Junmyeon had gained the upper hand on him so easily. None of that mattered now, their plan had been a success and they had managed to make it to the final three.

 

“Hyung! We did it! Everything worked out just as you said. Man, that girl’s voice was really noisy inside of my head. Thank god I’m able to give stuff like that back after stealing it. Anyways, hyung, we made it to the final three. No matter what, we’ll walk away from this with something! How incredible are we?” Jisung was giddy and it seemed to rub off on Changbin as he began to laugh at the Thief’s uneven bouncing as they made their way backstage. 

 

“Oh my god, you guys were awesome! Jisungie, I’ve seen plenty of Thieves around but I have  _ never  _ seen someone use a skill like that! Changbin, where did you learn to fight with your fists like that? I know that none of us certainly taught you!” Yugyeom caught Changbin’s head underneath his arm as he tousled his already messy hair. 

 

“We’re just that good. You guys better be really careful when you go up against us. Who knows what other skills I might have up my sleeve.” Bambam laughed a little nervously at Jisung’s words. When he had met Changbin just over six months ago, he knew from the first couple of days that he was a lot stronger than would be considered normal and was now starting to realise that those within his group may have been the same with regards to their monster strength. 

 

After being called away, Bambam and Yugyeom won their match easily, not that it surprised any of the boys. That was what they had come to expect. They knew that they would have to compete in two matches the following day since there were only three teams left but that meant that they would still be going up against Bambam and Yugyeom at some point, which both excited and rattled them. They wondered how they would fare but they wouldn’t have to wait much longer to find out.

 

* * *

 

“Alright, here we go. Jisungie, they were out of ginger ale so the bartender just gave me this cola drink instead, is that ok?” 

 

“As long as it’s mostly sugar, I don’t really care, hyung. Thanks for treating by the way.” Carefully setting the two glasses down, Minho scooted in to sit beside Jisung on the comfortable sofa. After a tiring day of matches, they had gone ahead to the tavern to find a place to sit before the bar got too busy. The others were currently at the training ground and would join them when they were finished. The penultimate day of the tournament had ended with screams and cheers unlike any other as the judges announced that there was simply one day left to go before the tournament ended. While many were glad to see the final result, a sense of gloom also fell over the stadium as the thought of their entertainment suddenly disappearing disappointed them. 

 

“No problem. You and Changbinnie have done really well so far and no matter what, you’ll come out of this with a prize. If you were to come first, which one of you would go back? Would you go? Or would you let Changbin?” Minho remembered when Jisung had told him about his past and that he had also mentioned that he didn’t have any particular reason to go back to the real world since there was nobody there waiting for him.

 

“We actually haven’t discussed it but I would tell Changbin hyung to go back. I know he’d find a way to get all of us out of here and to be honest, this world has more to offer me at the moment.” 

 

“Jisungie, don’t think like that. This place may seem great right now but you really should go back if you have the chance.” Minho sipped his herbal tea, inhaling the calming vapours that soothed his soul. 

 

“I didn’t mean the world itself, I meant the people in it. I don’t want to go back alone. I want to stay here with all of the others. I want to stay here with you.” 

 

The little backflip that Minho’s heart managed to do made his breath hitch as he watched the younger boy quickly chug his cola down. 

 

“Oh my god, hyung. Are you sure this is cola? It tastes like shit. It’s almost too sweet. You know what? It actually smells like tomato juice. What in the everloving hell is this stuff?” Jisung now regretted downing the drink so quickly but in the moment, he needed something to distract himself from what he had just said. 

 

“Something is too sweet for Han Jisung? It must  _ really  _ be vile. The bartender recommended it, so don’t blame me.” The fair haired girl behind the bar had been rather young, perhaps around the same age as Minho. She had apologised profusely for not having what he ordered but suggested a new type of soft drink, which was obviously not to Jisung’s taste as he scrunched his nose up at the flavour it left in his mouth. “The others should be here soon. Would you like another drink? Perhaps you won’t inhale it as fast as the first one.” 

  
“Nah, hyung. I’m good. I’ll wait until the others arrive.” Jisung reclined to lay his head on the back of the seat, closing his eyes and listening to the hubbub of the bustling tavern. 

 

Minho did the same, simply savouring the time with the young Thief. He still hadn’t managed to confess to Jisung after he had been interrupted by Seungmin and Jeongin a couple of nights ago. He couldn’t find the right time as they never got a chance to be alone but now, they were. Perhaps it wasn’t the best place to do it but Minho thought it may be the only chance he would have before they left to travel back to Haknal after the tournament. The thought also occurred to him that maybe it wasn’t the timing of the exposure of his secret that was the problem but the fact that he wasn’t sure if he truly wanted to tell Jisung about who he was. It didn’t matter how much he prepared himself, the outcome would always be unpredictable. As much as he’d like to believe that he knew Jisung well enough, he would never know how he would react to Minho’s admission. 

 

Opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling above, Minho slowly curved his neck to glance at the Thief and became slightly perplexed when he noticed Jisung breathing at a rather rapid pace while little beads of sweat were beginning to fall from his forehead. 

 

“Jisungie, are you alright?” 

  
“Uh, I don’t really know. Maybe the cola really was too sweet for me, my stomach kinda hurts. I think I need to go to the bathroom.” The Thief shakily grabbed onto the side of the table to steady himself as he stood and Minho slowly slid off of the seat to follow the younger boy out of worry but wasn’t fast enough to catch him as Jisung’s legs faltered and he came crashing to the ground. 

 

“Jisung!” 

 

Many of the patrons around them had stopped mid conversation to stare at the spectacle playing out in front of them as Minho grabbed Jisung’s limp form and turned him to allow him to rest on his knee. 

 

“Jisung, look at me. Come on, open your eyes.” 

 

No matter what Minho did, Jisung wouldn’t respond as his breaths began to become even more laboured than they had been mere seconds ago. Placing two fingers just below Jisung’s jaw, he checked his pulse that was now pounding at an exceptionally fast rate. He didn’t know what was happening. The Thief had been fine all day, giving no indication at any point that he had felt ill or in pain in any way. Minho knew that Changbin would arrive soon but at the rate that Jisung was deteriorating, he didn’t know if he could wait. Though he couldn’t do anything if he didn’t know what was wrong with the younger boy in the first place. 

 

People were beginning to crowd around and ask if they could help when a thought suddenly hit him. He momentarily let go of the boy to return to their seats and pick up Jisung’s glass from the table. Jisung had said that it smelled just as bad as it had tasted and once Minho put his nose to the glass, he agreed but felt his body run cold when he identified the reason for the off putting aroma. 

 

“Nightshade? What the- fuck!” Minho thanked his cautious nature for deciding to buy antidotes in the potion shop that he had visited while shopping with the younger boys in Aquiria, even though he had always hoped that he would never have to use them. He grabbed his bag before returning to Jisung’s side and began to frantically try and find the cure for the deadly plant that had been added to his glass. Jisung’s breaths had become shallow, showing Minho that he was losing the already limited amount of time he had to save the boy in front of him. Finally grabbing the correct bottle, he ripped the cork out with his teeth and pulled Jisung up into a sitting position before carefully trying to pour the violet liquid down his throat. Jisung’s gag reflex kicked in, causing the Thief to cough violently and spit out the potion that Minho had tried to administer. 

 

Minho knew that he didn’t have anymore time. He had to do this now or he was going to lose the most important person in his life. Jisung needed to take this potion if he was going to survive and Minho was going to force it down his throat if it was the last thing that he did. Placing the small bottle to his lips, Minho drank the potion but held it in his mouth before he placed his lips to Jisung’s, pressuring the younger boy’s mouth open and allowing the antidote to flow down his throat. Thrashing ever so slightly as he was forced to drink the liquid, Jisung’s subconscious seemed to identify that he was not in any danger and allowed his body to become slack. It took a few moments but eventually, Jisung began to accept the life saving liquid and swallowed all of it as Minho held him close. 

 

Pulling away, Minho pushed Jisung’s sweat drenched hair out of his eyes and pleaded with both himself and the unconscious boy that what he had done would be enough. 

 

“Minho?” Hearing Chan’s voice eased the crushing tenseness in his chest. It was so comforting to Minho, like someone was telling him that everything was going to be alright. 

 

“Hyung! Jisungie is-” Only when his words caught in his throat did Minho realise that he had been crying as his eyes implored the older boy to help him in any way that he could. 

 

Chan was at his side in an instant, his terrified gaze fluttering between Jisung and Minho as if silently asking for an explanation. “Minho, look at me. No, don’t look at Jisung, look at me. What happened to him? I need you to tell me.” 

 

“N-nightshade. There was nightshade in his drink, it was poisoned. I bought it for him but I didn’t know that it was- I gave him an antidote but- hyung, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Minho’s hands were trembling so badly that he was beginning to lose his grip on Jisung as his tears fell onto the younger boy’s shirt. 

 

Everything else seemed to pass by in a blur as Minho held onto Jisung like his life depended on it. He heard Chan yelling Changbin’s name and faintly remembered the Medic rushing to Jisung’s side to help him fight through his ordeal. He wasn’t sure if someone had told him to let go of the Thief but even if he had been in the right state of mind, nobody, not even the rest of his friends, could have made him release his grip on Jisung. It was almost as if Minho had fallen asleep while watching a movie. He had seen the beginning and the end but had missed the most important details that had occured in the middle. 

 

“Minho, Jisung is going to be alright. You need to let go so that we can bring him home. Minho?” Woojin tried to pry Minho’s fingers off of Jisung’s shirt as they shook with great force. Eventually succeeding, Chan hooked his arm under Jisung’s legs and placed a supportive arm around his neck to carry him back to the inn. Attempting to get Minho up off of the floor was a far more strenuous task. Woojin whispered sweet words and encouragement as he held his hands and tried to move him towards a safer place, far away from the prying eyes of those around them. 

 

“Woojinnie hyung, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Watching Minho fight through his sobs, Woojin couldn’t figure out what he was apologising for. He hadn’t been the one who had poisoned Jisung, so asking for forgiveness was unnecessary. While Changbin had been working on the Thief, Chan had told him that Minho had already administered an antidote, probably saving Jisung’s life in the process. 

 

“Minho, why are you saying sorry?”   


 

“I should have kept an eye on him, that’s what you’ve always trusted me with. I don’t understand how this happened. I never let the drinks out of my sight. The only time someone else was near them was-” The thought that hit Minho caused him to stop and turn his gaze towards the bar. Woojin didn’t have time to react before Minho was on his feet and rushing towards the counter. 

 

“Hey, where is the other girl that was serving here?” Interrupting the conversation between the two young bartenders, Minho was practically leaping over the counter to inquire about the young woman. Woojin was quick to join him, intrigued about what Minho was trying to get at.  

 

“Girl? What girl? There’s only two of us working tonight. Both guys, see?” The dusty blond boy gestured towards himself before pointing at his friend, showing that he had no idea what Minho was talking about. 

 

“Minho, what’s going on? We need to go back with the others. Jisungie will be looking for you when he wakes up.” 

 

Minho wiped his eyes and nose as he tried to get some sort of clarity on the situation. “Hyung, I ordered the drinks off of a girl behind the counter. I thought she was a bartender but these guys said there was nobody else working here. She had asked me for my order when I came to the counter. I ordered ginger ale for Jisungie but she said they were out and gave me another drink instead, saying that it was just as good. I didn’t realise it until now but she got me to take it and easily. She was the one who put it in the drink. Shit, I’m so stupid not to have noticed that.”

 

“She poisoned his drink? Why? What the hell could Jisungie have possibly done to her to make her want to kill him? Wait, what did she look like? Give me some specifics about her.”

 

Minho had always prided himself on paying attention to details, even in times like this when all he was trying to do was have a quiet drink with his friends. “She was probably around the same age as me, blonde hair, brown eyes, maybe 5’2 or 5’3. There was nothing special about her, I thought that she was the bartender but if she wasn’t, then why did she serve me?”

 

“Look, we can ask Jisungie if he knows anything about this when he wakes up. We should go back to the others. We shouldn’t let him wake up alone, he’ll probably be really scared.” Woojin carefully guided Minho away from the bar with the two young men behind it looking slightly alarmed after hearing the conversation that had taken place in front of them. 

 

* * *

 

This evening’s training had been rather difficult for Chan and Jeongin, with both of them feeling pretty exhausted but the older boy had still volunteered to watch over the Thief first and call the others if there was any change in his condition. Taking Jisung’s hand in his, the Knight began to draw little circles in the middle of his palm with his finger, hoping that the repetitive motion would either wake the sleeping boy or keep him from going crazy with worry. Woojin had informed him about what Minho thought had happened in the bar. It was becoming very apparent to Chan that Jisung’s misery and constant injuries were not simply the source of bad luck but something far more sinister if Minho’s speculations were, in fact, true.  

 

A quiet knock on the door broke Chan’s concentration as he turned to watch Minho walk in to trade places with him. Though he hadn’t done any training, Minho looked just as, if not more, exhausted as Chan was. He had been sent to his room with the others to get some sleep but it was obvious from his eyes that he hadn’t closed them since they got back. In fact, he was twenty minutes earlier than he was supposed to be to switch with Chan, showing the older boy just how much he wanted to be by Jisung’s side. 

 

“Hyung, any changes?” 

 

“Still the same but that’s not a bad thing. Changbin said that he would be alright, so the fact that he hasn’t gotten worse is a good sign. He also said that if you hadn’t given him the antidote when you did, he-” Coughing to rid himself of the lump that formed in his throat at the thought of losing Jisung, he managed a small smile for the boy in front of him. “Minho, he’s still alive because of you.”

 

“He wouldn’t have been in that position if I had been more careful in the first place.”

  
  
“Do you always go around checking your friend’s drinks? Minho, there is no possible way that you could have known what was going to happen. Don’t blame yourself for this. Jisung wouldn’t want you to.” 

 

Minho knew that Chan was right on that point but couldn’t help but think that he should have always been more cautious than necessary when it came to Jisung because of Gyujin. He had a feeling that the woman he had come into contact with hadn’t been working on her own agenda but was tied to Jisung’s brother in some way. Not that he could tell Chan about that, not yet. He would have to speak to Jisung first about all of this before he would even consider divulging one of the younger boy’s biggest secrets to the rest of the group. 

 

“Hyung, you look awful. Go and sleep for a while. I’ll call you first if anything happens.” With a tired smile, Chan placed his hand on Minho’s shoulder as both a form of comfort and reassurance, which Minho silently thanked him for. The latch on the door clinked as Chan shut it behind him and quietly made his way down to the bedroom at the end of the hallway. 

 

Minho rested his chin upon his clasped fingers and stared at the boy breathing lightly in front of him. After arriving in Phantasm, Minho had endured a hell of a lot, just as everyone did when they first entered the world. He didn’t have anyone to help him through it like Changbin, Woojin or Chan did, making it on his own until he came across the bar in Aquiria where he found those who held a similar class and discovered what exactly he was supposed to do to be able to survive in this game. So many things scared him at first but nothing, absolutely nothing in this world, scared him as much as Jisung’s near miss did. Minho had taught himself not to cry for anything, since his upbringing required that kind of mindset but seeing Jisung in that state, slowly being ripped away from him, that was something that genuinely terrified him. 

 

“Hyung, is he gone?” 

 

Minho’s neck snapped upwards so quickly that a very audible pop echoed throughout the room as he rubbed it to dull the pain. Jisung was cracking one eye open to scan the room in case Chan was still there. 

 

“Channie hyung is gone, right? I’ve been awake for like thirty minutes but I didn’t want him to make a big fuss about me and I know you won’t if I ask you not to.” 

 

Minho felt sick. It was like a freezing wave had come crashing down over him as he looked at the relatively healthy boy in front of him, yawning widely as he stretched his arms to the bunk above him. He was awake. He was safe. He was alive. 

 

“If you’ve been awake, then you must have a general idea of what we were talking about. Jisung, why are you acting like nothing happened to you?”

  
“I’m not. I know that my drink was spiked.”

  
  
“You make it sound like someone poured a little bit of alcohol into your soda. It was nightshade, Jisung. Someone tried to poison you!” 

 

Jisung shushed the older boy as he raised his voice, his anger about the situation beginning to take over. Minho didn’t appreciate the way that Jisung seemed to be so indifferent about what had happened to him earlier in the night, almost acting as if he had been expecting something like this to occur.

 

“Jisung, why aren’t you more upset about this? Why aren’t you more terrified that someone tried to take your life? You know more than you’re letting on and you need to tell me why this happened.”   


 

“I don’t know why this happened, hyung. I guess it’s just the adrenaline keeping me from panicking.” 

 

“Bullshit, Jisung. Tell me right now. If I know, then I can work harder to protect you. All of us can work harder.” 

 

Jisung bowed his head, refusing to meet Minho’s eyes and possibly explain why things had turned out the way that they did. The younger boy thought about the old saying ‘you could cut the tension in the room with a knife’ as it seemed to be a pretty accurate maxim for the current atmosphere of the room. He could feel Minho’s eyes boring into him and knew that he would have to look up eventually, though he couldn’t explain the reason that entered his head as to why he had almost been killed. 

 

“Hyung, I don’t need to be protected, so you don’t need to know.”

  
  
“You don’t need to be protected? Are you fucking kidding me? I’m pretty damn sure that you wouldn’t have been able to administer the antidote to yourself earlier when you were dying in my arms! Do you realise that, Jisung? That you almost died?!” 

 

“Hyung, stop yelling. You’re making too big a deal out of this. I’m fine.” 

 

“God, I know that you’re a stubborn ass, an immature brat but you’re not stupid! Will you just fucking tell me why Gyujin is after you so that we can do something about it?!”

 

He had heard the words in his head and desperately tried to stop them before they fell from his lips but it was too late. The damage was done and Minho could do nothing about it. 

 

“What?” 

 

“Jisung, just- just tell me why-”

 

“No, hold on a second. What did you just say?” 

 

The look of fear that flashed across Jisung’s face caused Minho’s heart to sink as he thought about the fact that the reason the younger boy looked like that was because of him. 

 

“You know about Gyujin? How? I’ve never told anyone about him. How do you-”

 

And then it clicked. Minho could see the light flash within Jisung’s eyes as the pieces of the puzzle finally fit together for him. 

 

“You’re not a Shadow, are you? You’re a Tracker.” 

 

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing that Minho could say to stop the string of revelations that were beginning to tumble from Jisung’s mouth. 

 

“Never using your abilities, even when we were in the middle of a battle, I never thought it was strange. I just assumed that you were like Felix or Jeongin, not wanting to use them but it was to hide who you really were.”

 

He thought that there had to be some way to fix this, to make Jisung stop looking at him like that.

 

“You were the one who snuck into my room the night the we stayed in that small village, the night after we met Hyunjin and Felix. That was you.” 

 

Minho stood there and took it, each statement like a slap to the face. He had so many opportunities to confess to the younger boy about who he was but now, it seemed like Minho had actively been trying to hide it from him. 

 

“I used to think about how lucky I was that you just happened to be around to rescue me when the Gollias attacked and I was so thankful towards you that I never questioned how you were amazingly in the right place at the right time. You were following me, to see if I would lead you to Gyujin, weren’t you? You said that you wanted to get rid of him. Was it for his bounty? That’s what people like  _ you _ usually go after, right? And that’s the reason you saved me? So that you wouldn’t lose the only lead you had on him?”

 

He tried to come up with an explanation, some sort of reason that wouldn’t make it look like what Jisung was spouting was the absolute truth. 

 

“That’s why you agreed to come along with us too, to see if he would show up at some point. All of this, everything you’ve done up till now was an act. Was...was I just a fucking job to you, Minho?”    


  
That was what it took for Minho to break. Hurriedly moving forward, he attempted to grab Jisung’s hands before they were roughly dragged away from him. “Jisungie, please. That isn’t- look, it may have started out that way but everything has changed. All of you have helped me so much. You made me realise that I’m allowed to have friends, that I’m worth something, that I can let myself be a part of something bigger. There are people who care about me as much as I care about them.” 

 

Minho reached forward and placed his hands behind Jisung’s neck, forcing the boy with bitter tears in his eyes to look at him. “Jisungie, I promise you, I’m not the same person that I was when you met me. You mean way too much to me now. All I want to do is stay by your side and keep protecting you. I lo-”

 

“Don’t you fucking dare! Don’t you dare say that I meant something to you! You used me!” Jisung harshly ripped Minho’s hands from around his neck, kicking off the blankets hugging his legs. “If anything of what you just said was true, then you had so many chances to tell me about all of this. You were lying to me this whole time. You were lying to all of us! How can I believe anything that you’ve ever told me when you’ve been hiding something like this from me?!” Standing from the bed, Jisung’s stomach lurched, though he wasn’t sure if the cause was what he had ingested earlier or the boy standing in front of him. 

 

“Jisungie-”   


 

“No, I’m speaking right now. Was it fun? Playing with me all along? When I told you about my past, when I asked you if you wouldn’t leave me back at the beach, when we sat together by the lake and watched the fireworks; were you thinking about how much of a moron I was to believe all of your lies so easily? Were you laughing at the idiot who was falling for you? I can’t believe that I thought that you might actually…”

 

The silence loudly ripped through the room, pushing them further apart than they already were. Minho knew from the tears falling down Jisung’s cheeks as he held his head in his hands that there was absolutely nothing he could say to make this situation better. Jisung admitted that he had fallen for him, just like Minho had fallen for the younger boy but all of that had suddenly been shattered as Jisung now knew everything that Minho had wanted to reveal so many times. 

 

“Aren’t you going to try and wriggle your way out of this? Come on, what’s your excuse? I’m sure you came up with one in case I ever managed to figure it out.”   


 

“Jisung, I never meant for it to get this far without telling you. I’m so sorry.”

 

“Seriously, that’s it? That’s all you’ve got? You’re not going to try and justify everything that you’ve done? You’re not even going attempt to deny it?” Jisung scoffed loudly while he scrubbed at his eyes, trying to rid himself of the tears that stemmed from both rage and anguish. “Get out.”

 

“What? Jisung-”

  
  
“Get out, Minho! I’m fucking tired of being used by people! Just stay the hell away from all of us! I don’t want to see you again! Do you hear me?!” 

 

“Jisung, please. Please don’t do this.” 

 

Minho made one last attempt to approach the boy, to let him know that how he felt wasn’t a joke, wasn’t a game, wasn’t an act but he knew not to advance any further when Jisung picked up a glass from the bedside table and flung it behind Minho’s head, causing it to break into a million pieces, just like his heart. 

 

“Get. Out.” 

 

In hearing the other’s voice bend due to the weight of his distress, Minho decided to do exactly as Jisung asked. He didn’t want to make him suffer any more than he already had, no matter how much he wanted to stay. Minho was the cause of the irritated tears falling from Jisung’s eyes, as well as the ones managing to break free from his own. With his silence, he had ruined the one chance that he had been given to be a part of a family, a real one. He wasn’t sure how Jisung would explain his absence to the other boys but he knew that whatever reason he gave, it wouldn’t make him look good in any particular light and he thought that it was exactly what he deserved. Jisung was right, he had used him and out of all the terrible things he had ever done, the consequences of this action were what stung the most. He had betrayed Jisung’s trust and this was his punishment. Looking at the distraught boy one last time before he walked out the door, he took in everything that he could, everything that had made him fall in love with him in the first place. 

 

“Jisung, I know that I hurt you and I will never be able to forgive myself but by the end, none of it was fake. I’m sorry.” And with the click of the door, Minho was gone. 

 

The fury that was keeping Jisung in a standing position left the room with the older boy and caused the Thief to collapse into a ball on the ground as a pained scream raked its way out of his throat. His fingers curled in on themselves as he repeatedly hit the ground at the thought of his own naivety, that he had allowed himself to fall for such an obvious lie. He thought that he had meant something to Minho, like the older boy had meant more than anything to him but it had all been a cruel joke. He had simply been a pawn that was required for Minho to complete a job and once his assignment was finished, Minho would probably have dropped his act, discarded him and walked away. 

 

Firm hands grabbed Jisung’s wrists to stop him from injuring his fists as they continually smashed off of the ground before he was enveloped in a hug that tried to quieten all of his sobs. 

 

“Jisungie, what’s wrong? It’s ok, you’re safe. Where’s Minho?” 

 

Nails clawed at the back of Woojin’s shirt as Jisung tried to pull himself further into the elder’s warm hold on him. He attempted to form words, failing as his mouth could only let out his howls of despair. 

 

“Shh, shh, shh, Jisungie. It’s alright, I’m here.” 

 

It took mere moments for all of the other boys to appear and stand in the doorway to look on worriedly as Woojin patted the Thief’s hair to try and calm him and eliminate his cries. 

 

* * *

 

It had taken Woojin almost fifteen minutes to stop Jisung from crying and put him back in bed. Chan began to wipe away the streaks that stained his cheeks, trying to gauge what exactly had happened in the small amount of time since he had left the room. He had heard raised voices but assumed that they had come from the room of another occupant of the inn but when he heard Jisung cry out, he knew that he had been mistaken. 

 

“Jisungie, where’s Minho? Why isn’t he watching over you?” whispered Chan, trying not to make the younger boy cry again. 

 

“He’s gone.”   
  


All of them looked to each other, unnerved by the two words that came from the Thief’s mouth with such spite coating them.  

 

“Gone? What do you mean he’s gone? When is he coming back?” 

 

“He’s not.”

 

“What?!” 

 

They tried to come up with some sort of rational explanation for why Minho would leave without saying anything to any of them. Chan thought that perhaps the reason that Jisung was so upset was because Minho had made a promise to stay but had apparently broken it. Maybe travelling with others had finally become too difficult for him but thought that it didn’t make sense after seeing the way Minho was with all of them, a piece of nine that made them a whole. 

 

“I made him leave. I told him to go and never come back, that I never wanted to see him again.” 

 

“Jisungie, why would you do such a thing? I thought that you-”

 

“It was all an act. None of it was real. He was playing us the whole time. He wasn’t who he said he was.”

  
  
If they thought that they had been confused before, the scenarios now running through their heads were truly chaotic and muddled. 

 

“Hyung, what do you mean? If Minho hyung wasn’t who he said, then who was he?” 

 

The Thief bit his lip and knew that the time was finally here. If he was going to let them know why Minho was no longer around, then he was going to have to tell them the whole story behind it too. Everything that had happened to him, everything he had been forced to do, he now had to reveal all of it to those who he called his family. 

 

“When I told you all about how I entered this world, I told you that Joomi-ssi found me in an alleyway in Haknal, which she did but I was here for a short period of time before that.” 

 

Changbin tilted his head in confusion. He had spent so much time with Jisung and thought that he knew pretty much everything about the young Thief but never imagined that he had kept something like this from him and couldn’t think of a reason why. 

 

“Please,  _ please, _ just sit and listen to my explanation before you assume the worst about me. You all know who Gyujin is, right?”

  
  
Seven heads nodded. Even Seungmin and Jeongin, who had spent most of their time within the game in captivity, had heard the name and the reason that he was so infamous. None of them liked where this was going after hearing such a deranged man’s name coming from the boy’s lips and slowly gestured for him to continue. 

 

Jisung inhaled deeply, trying to prepare himself for the list of possible reactions that were going to bombard him momentarily. “His full name is Han Gyujin and he’s my brother.” 

 

The Thief didn’t want to look up, to see the looks of shock and disbelief that he could feel upon him. 

 

“He’s your- Jisung, how could you not tell us something like that?” Jisung could feel the tears welling up again when he heard the disappointment in Woojin’s voice. 

 

“To protect all of you. The longer you were unaware about the connection between us, the better your chances would be to stay safe. I was afraid that he would come after all you if he knew that you were wise to who he was, if he knew that you were important to me. Being evasive, that’s how he survives and if you were able to humanise him, to see that he isn’t just a nightmare, an elusive target, then that would mark all of you as easy prey in his eyes. To get to me, he would have no trouble in hurting you guys and I tried to keep that from happening the only way I could think of. You want to know why Minho left and why I was nearly killed tonight? Then I’m going to have to tell you about the first two months I spent in Phantasm. Please try to understand that I didn’t have a choice when it came to how I acted. Please try to understand.” 

 

Trying to get over from the initial shock of the revelation, all of them crowded around Jisung to listen intently to his tale. 

 

“I entered Phantasm eight months ago…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how are we all doing? You alright? Everyone still with me? Some of you saw the storm coming. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hide where none of you will ever find me. See you next week!


	23. Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is having a good week! I'm trying to justify writing this chapter but I really can't. Why do I keep doing this to Jisung? He deserves so much better. It was actually really tough to write. Ah, I'm putting so many warnings on this chapter. Warning for mentions of torture, emotional exploitation, blood, minor character death. Make sure you know about all of those before you read it. I don't want anyone feeling uncomfortable!  
> Also, I'm not entirely sure that I will be updating next week but I will try my very best! Just know that there may not be a chapter next Wednesday but then again, there could be. I'm babbling now. I would say enjoy the chapter but....

_8 months earlier_

 

“Ji. Ji, wake up.”

 

Nothing in the world felt as bad to Jisung as the pain now ripping its way through his head did. Where was he? He had no idea. Opening his eyes wasn’t an option as the agony in his temples seemed to be forcing his eyelids to remain shut, even though he really wanted to know what type of place he was in from the aroma that was flooding his nostrils. The scent of honeysuckle and petrichor indicated to Jisung that he was outside but he didn’t feel any of the uncomfortable chill that would usually accompany this time of year. Finally moving his hands, he felt the damp grass that slid through his fingers as he moved them downwards until they came into contact with the side of his legs. The melody of crackling firewood hit his ears and since he knew he hadn’t been the one to set it up, he realised that he mustn’t be alone.

 

“Are you really just going to lie there and pretend that you can’t hear my voice? You’re going to hurt my feelings.”

 

He was going to keep his eyes closed. He was going to tell himself that this was all a dream because if he thought that this was in any way real, then he was going to have to come face to face with the owner of the soft spoken voice, one of the people that he feared the most in his life.

 

Why was he here? There’s no way he could have found him. Trying to keep his hands and breath steady despite the shivers running up and down his body, Jisung ceased all movements as he felt soft raindrops hit his skin. A delicate touch to his cheek automatically caused him to recoil as fingers traced their way down his face.

 

“I know you’re awake, so you may as well open your eyes and look at me.”

 

Against his better judgement, Jisung’s eyelids fluttered open as he peered at the man now looming over him, his fingers still cupping the boy’s face. He had the sort of face that would make girls swoon and boys jealous and sometimes, it was the other way around. The silky, blond curls that fell around his warm eyes hid the type of person that he truly was. His smile would express to an outsider how happy he was to see his younger brother again but deep down, Jisung knew the kind of feelings that this man truly held within himself. The nausea was overwhelming as Jisung felt like he was helpless prey being stared down by a predator.

 

“Hey, Ji. Do you remember me? It’s been so long but I haven’t changed that much, right?”

 

“Gyujin...hyung.”

 

“You used to call me Jinjin hyung when you were a baby. Have you gotten too old to call me that? Gosh, you must be about eighteen now, huh? I guess you’re all grown up and I missed it. I’m really sorry that I did but you know, it was kind of all your fault.” Gyujin tenderly held Jisung’s chin between his fingertips, gradually adding more pressure as he leaned down and forced the younger boy to meet his eyes. Jisung didn’t want to be here. He would rather be anywhere _but_ here, wherever here was. He hadn’t seen his brother in nine years but he never forgot about what he used to do to him, the fear he used to instill in him with a simple gaze, with a simple gesture. He never forgot about him.

 

“Ah, Ji, it’s been forever since we last saw each other. I’ve missed you. Thinking about all of the precious time we missed together, it was such a shame. Do you remember all the fun we used to have when we were kids? We were practically attached at the hip but your little accident went and fucked everything up. They took us away from our home, they took you away from me. You were sent to that family that didn’t want to look after two kids and they separated us. I thought that I’d never see you again. Ji, did you ever tell anyone about what I did?”

 

Jisung furiously shook his head as it was still being held with a painful grip. “H-hyung, I never told anyone about anything. They asked me about what happened and I said that I tripped while carrying some books downstairs. That’s all, I swear.” Tears stung the corner of the younger boy’s eyes as he recalled the day that he stood at the top of the stairs in his home before he felt a palm rest on the small of his back and turned to see an expressionless, thirteen year old Gyujin begin to push him down the steps. Maybe he had a reason, he more than likely didn’t but he had still pushed him nonetheless. That’s just the type of person that Gyujin was.

 

“You never told anyone? Good boy.” Jisung winced at the praise for being too petrified of his sociopathic brother to tell anyone about all the harm he had ever caused him. This incident was the last that Gyujin had ever managed to inflict on him but it most certainly wasn’t the first. While he sustained some injuries from the lack of interest that his parents took in him, many were caused by Gyujin and his little ‘games’ or at least, that’s what he used to call them when he tried to coerce Jisung into playing them.

 

Telling a three year old Jisung that it wouldn’t hurt if he touched the magical, flickering flames that sat in the fireplace but they did. Betting a five year old Jisung that he couldn’t grab the cookies from the top shelf in the kitchen and swearing that he would catch him if he were to fall but he didn’t. Promising an eight year old Jisung that he wouldn’t break any of his bones if he kept still as he laid into him with his fists but he did. Assuming that a nine year old Jisung wouldn’t survive if he were to throw him down the stairs to get rid of an annoying irritant in his life but he did.

 

“You’ve got to admit, it was pretty nice of the people running this place to reunite us. I mean, out of everyone that could have possibly discovered you when you entered this world, they let me find you and I don’t think it was a coincidence either.”

 

Jisung didn’t know if he was supposed to speak, if he was allowed to, if he had permission to. He didn’t want to do anything that could set Gyujin off because he knew all too well what he was capable of and when he was angry, he had no filter to tell him when enough was enough. He wanted to ask what he had meant. Who were the people running this place? Where was this place and why was he here?

 

“Ji, are you curious about where we are? It all looks pretty real right?” Gyujin had asked him a question, so Jisung assumed that he was looking for an answer and nodded his head, his shaking eyes never leaving his brother’s form. He desperately tried to remember what he had been doing before he woke up, with nothing but smoke filling his memories. Why was he asleep in the middle of a wooded area? Why was there a blinding pain in his head? Why out of all the people in the world, did he have to wake up next to his brother?

 

Gyujin went onto explain exactly what Phantasm was and how he had been here for just over a month. Jisung didn’t believe him. Of course he didn’t because why would he when Gyujin had lied to him the entire time that they were together as youngsters? Jisung had grown up in the past nine years and become a hell of a lot wiser. He wasn’t the same kid that stupidly sat there, trusting his older brother’s every word until it quite literally came back to slap him in the face. Right now, Jisung didn’t have a choice but to play along and pretend to understand what the older boy was talking about until he saw an opening to escape.

 

“Ah, Ji, what class are you?”  


Jisung hated Gyujin talking to him like he was his best friend, like he had completely forgotten everything that had happened between them during their childhood. He squinted his eyes, trying to figure out what his brother was talking about. “My class?”

 

Gyujin sighed heavily, making Jisung worried that he had angered him. “Your class. The little message that popped up before you woke up. ‘Welcome new player. You have been assigned the class of…”

 

“Thief.” The words slipped out of Jisung’s mouth before he even registered what they meant. The message. He had seen, or rather, heard the words that vibrated with static. He had forgotten about it until Gyujin mentioned it and seeing the bright smile it brought to the other’s face caused Jisung’s heart to sink. He knew that smile and it never meant anything good for Jisung.

 

“A Thief, really? Ji, what kind of risky things were you involved in to be assigned a class like that? Doesn’t sound like you were very good after you were taken away. Huh, maybe I can use you here after all. I guess it would be a shame to off you when you haven’t even experienced this place yet.” Gyujin told Jisung all about the classes you could possibly be but never revealed what he was, which made Jisung even more terrified of his brother than he already was.

 

“Wanna spend some time with hyung again, Ji? Come on, it’ll be fun.”

 

 _‘Fun for who?’_ Jisung thought.

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take too long until Jisung found out about the fun that Gyujin had talked about a week earlier. Pushing Jisung to try and master his abilities in such a short amount of time took a heavy toll on his body, his muscles screaming at him to take a rest but Gyujin wouldn’t allow it. He said that he needed him to be at his best as quickly as possible and didn’t care what it took for him to advance to that stage. Did it shock Jisung that Gyujin still had this much power over him even after being apart for so long? No. Did it surprise the Thief that Gyujin hadn’t changed over the last nine years? Not really. If anything, he had gotten worse in his tendencies as he dragged Jisung with him in the dead of night.

 

“Alright, Ji. Time to show me what you’re made of. You’ve had time to practice but now I want to see you put your skills to use. Second floor, last room on the left, that’s your target. I’m starting you off easy to see if you’ll be of any use to me. The place is closed for the night and there shouldn’t be anyone in there. There are alarms and cameras though, so don’t get caught and don’t let me down.” The tone of Gyujin’s voice only added to the threat that he had thrown at Jisung. The younger boy knew that he had to do this right or he might not live to see the sun rise tomorrow.

  
Carefully picking the lock on the door, Jisung slipped through the shadows of the staircase, locating the cameras that whirred around to catch any intruders. Jisung had very quickly come to the realisation that what Gyujin had told him about Phantasm wasn’t a lie and that this was most definitely not the real world. After discovering more about his class, even though it had hurt like hell, he had picked up the skills he needed to survive rather quickly, which is why it was so easy to maneuver in the darkness to reach his destination. Undoing the latch on the last door, Jisung moved inside and began to rummage around in the drawers to find what it was that Gyujin had asked him to locate when an idea suddenly hit him. This was it, his chance to escape. It was the first time that Gyujin had left him alone and out of his sight over the past week and Jisung knew that he would kick himself if he missed this opportunity. He hated this, being used like a puppet for his brother’s own personal gain but he had made a decision; he wasn’t going to put up with his any longer.

 

Closing the drawers he had been looking through, Jisung carefully lifted the window and peered to the ground below. It wasn’t that much of a drop and the Thief was positive he could make it without injuring himself too much. Leaping off the ledge, Jisung landed on a heap of soil, cushioning his fall. If he wanted to escape, then he was going to have to run and run fast. He managed to get one foot in front of himself but not the other before his body became a statue, unable to budge from his position. It was like every muscle within him clenched and no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t listen to him as he pleaded with his body to move.

 

“Ji, Ji, Ji, how could you think about running away? This wasn’t a test to see if you could steal those documents for me, it was to test your loyalty and it seems that you’ve failed.” Fire flowed through Jisung’s veins as he screamed at the feeling of being set alight by an unseen flame. His head turned against his will so that he was now staring at Gyujin, an unimpressed expression flooding his face, though the force that controlled his body could not be found.

 

“I’ve told you about numerous classes that this game can place upon you but I’ve never told you about mine. I wanted it to be a surprise, I wanted to be able to show you instead of telling you and your disobedience has finally given me reason to. Does it hurt?” Jisung could only whimper as he felt a trickle fall from his nose, a metallic taste beginning to rise up his throat as he coughed and sputtered to try and free his airways. “Ever heard of a Blood Mage, Ji?”

 

He hadn’t but he could pretty much guess what his brother could do from the lack of control he had over his body. It seemed a little unethical, using someone’s blood to make them unable to fight back but then again, a class like that suited Gyujin down to the ground. He attempted to speak but struggled as his own blood was beginning to choke him. “H-hyung, I’m sorry. I won’t try to run again. I’ll help you.”

 

Gliding to his side, Gyujin traced over the features of Jisung’s face as he smiled cruelly. “No, I don’t think that you will run because the pain I’m inflicting on  you now is about ten percent of my potential and if you make another attempt, then you’re going to wish you were never born. Am I making myself clear, Ji?”

 

He knew that this was it. Jisung thought that this was where he would have to spend the rest of his life because there was no way in hell he wanted to feel beyond the pain he was experiencing right now. He thought that death probably wouldn’t feel as bad as this but he would rather not be able to make the comparison in the end.

 

“This power does have its limits but it seems to have its uses. I can do things like this.” Gyujin raised his fingers and began to pull on the invisible strings that controlled Jisung’s body. His left arm raised, with Jisung having no say in how his body reacted. It fell before his right arm was dragged up before it descended again thanks to Gyujin’s commands. Each time his body responded to his brother’s orders, Jisung felt like his blood was boiling inside of him. He got the feeling that this wasn’t a particularly common class, one that could only manage to cause pain and he had just been so lucky that Gyujin had managed to be assigned it.

 

“Come on, lets head back. I have a few real targets that I want you to help me with.” The tightness in his muscles disappeared and Jisung finally fell to the ground, wiping the wet blood away from his nose and corner of his lip. Watching his brother walk away after beckoning to follow him with his finger, Jisung wondered if he could endure another period in his life where he could do nothing but listen to his brother. He wondered why he had been put in this position again, as if he hadn’t suffered enough at his hands when they were kids. He wondered if staying alive was really worth it.

 

* * *

 

“You did good, Ji. Hyung is so proud of you.”

 

The one bedroom space that Gyujin had rented out for the night was freezing, damp and if Jisung was correct, something had definitely died in the walls because the smell was horrendous. It had already been a month since he had found out what type of class Gyujin was and in that time, he made sure never to piss his brother off again. He did as he was told, he kept quiet and it seemed to have worked out for him when it came to keeping himself safe. His morals on the other hand had taken quite a beating. Gyujin had gotten him to help him in so many escapades. Jisung would locate and steal the items that his brother wanted while Gyujin was on crowd control. If there was ever anyone present, he would always make sure that Jisung wasn’t interrupted with whatever he was doing. He felt like he could let the Thief go alone to complete his missions now, knowing that the younger was too terrified of him to defy him again, which pleased him greatly. Coins, documents, jewellery and other valuables were among the prizes that Jisung managed to secure, though he never got to keep any of them. Not that he wanted to, they were tainted and Jisung wanted no part of that but he just wanted enough to survive. He was given the bare minimum by Gyujin, bread and rice making up the majority of his meals over the time they spent together and Jisung was beginning to lose it. He found it hard to focus, he felt himself getting weaker and was pretty sure he had lost a dangerous amount of weight over the last six weeks.

 

“Hyung, I-I know that I’m not supposed to ask but-”

 

“If you know that you’re not supposed to ask, then why are you asking?”

 

“I’m thirsty, hyung. I just wanted to know if I could have a few coins to grab a bottle of water downstairs.” Jisung knew it was risky, asking Gyujin for money since that’s the thing he could never have enough of but if he didn’t get some sort of liquid into him, he was going to collapse from dehydration.

 

“Heh, since you managed to complete the mission without a single fuck up, I guess I can give you that. Here, catch.” A small satchel was thrown towards the Thief as Gyujin carefully watched him grab the exact amount of money that he needed and began to head to the vending machine downstairs.

 

The coins clinked as Jisung deposited them into the machine and waited for the bottle that he thought would never come out. Uncapping the water as quickly as he could, he almost downed the drink on the first go, which made his empty stomach swirl at the freezing liquid that splashed down on top of it.

 

“- you sure you haven’t seen this kid? We’ve heard that he was around here but people keep saying that they have no idea about him. There’s been a string of robberies around here and the surrounding areas, we know that he’s behind it and we don’t think he’s working alone either. He’s been spotted around all of the areas before the break ins took place. Here, take a closer look.” Jisung turned to see the owner of the grubby inn being questioned by two guards holding up a sketch that looked pretty damn similar to Gyujin.

 

Jisung told himself that he now had two choices: run back upstairs and tell Gyujin what he had just heard or turn himself in to the guards standing in front of him. He couldn’t say that he had ever been in jail before, in the real world or in Phantasm, but it couldn’t be any worse than what he was being forced to endure now. He would have somewhere safe to sleep, he would be fed and would like to think that nobody would be able to get to him. On the other hand, if Gyujin ever did manage to find him after he left, he was sure that he wouldn’t live for very long. Maybe if he told Gyujin about what he had heard, his brother might go easier on him, a strange form of thanks for saving him from being confined since he knew how much he hated that.

 

As his feet hit the wooden stairs, Jisung realised how much of a hold Gyujin really had over him. He was five years old again, running to tell his brother that their parents had found out that Gyujin had stolen some of their money to buy god knows what. They were pissed and they were coming for him but Jisung felt that it was his duty to inform the other about the pain that was drawing nearer.

 

“Hyung! We have a problem. There are guards downstairs and they are looking for you. We have to leave!” Jisung was already grabbing his backpack, jangling the stolen items that they hadn’t yet managed to shed.

 

“Ji, why are you panicking? We’ll be fine.” A strong knock pounded on the door as Jisung’s worried gaze flew towards the sound. He studied the window and flung it open, wondering if they could survive a three story drop.

 

“Open up! We know you’re in there!” Before Jisung could ask what they were going to do, Gyujin was already up and advancing towards the door. The smile gracing his lips made Jisung think that he was in no way worried about the fact that they had finally been discovered. Lurching forward to grab on his sleeve, Jisung missed and couldn’t halt the young man from opening the door to reveal both of them to the guards and owner of the inn.

 

“Gentlemen, can I help you with something?” The calm tone of Gyujin’s voice frightened Jisung, like he knew not everything was as it seemed.

 

“We finally found you. You’re going to have to come with us.” A strong hand moved to grab Gyujin and drag him along before it stopped in mid air, the other two men behind him throwing worried stares at the sudden loss in motion. The stagnant guard began to cry, his dark red tears marking his unblemished skin. He gasped but couldn’t move to claw at his throat as it began to fill up with his blood, choking him slowly. The second guard, understanding the situation, charged towards Gyujin but all the young man had to do was raise a hand to stop him, snapping his neck in a millisecond.

 

Jisung wanted to stop this. He had made peace with the fact that he was a Thief, that his unethical habit had followed him into this world too but anything beyond that, something like murder, made Jisung sick to his very soul. He watched the inn owner back himself up against the wall and slide down as the terror took over, forcing him to watch the spectacle play out in front of him. Jisung could stop it but wondered if he would he be forced to take the guard’s place? It didn’t matter anymore as the man under Gyujin’s control let out a shout before becoming limp and having his lifeless body thrown against the wall by the Blood Mage.   

 

“You sold us out, old man. How did that work out for you?” Gyujin bent down to stare the inn owner in the eyes as his hands advanced towards his throat but were quickly stopped when Jisung threw his arms around Gyujin’s waist.

 

“Hyung, hyung please. Please don’t do this. I’m sure he didn’t mean it. I can tell that he’s sorry, that he regrets it, right?” Jisung’s eyes pleaded with the older man to respond, for him to try and save his life from the enraged boy in front of him. With the frantic nodding of his head, the old man tried to spew apologies, tried to appeal to any sort of empathy within Gyujin. It seemed to work when the Mage dropped his hands and motioned for Jisung to let go of him. The younger boy complied and raised from the blood stained floor, dusting his knees as he attempted to make sure the older man wasn’t harmed; trying to ignore the two corpses placed behind him.

 

Jisung met the owner’s eyes before a loud thwack resonated off of the walls and the burning in his cheek spread throughout his face. Tracing his fingers along the stinging sensation, Jisung whimpered as he looked to Gyujin, hand still raised after the strike. “Ji, I’ve told you before, I’m the one in charge here. You speak when spoken to, you do not act on your own and if I decide to do something-” A sudden snap. “-I will do it. You get no say in the matter.” The Thief sobbed, struggling to keep his gaze away from the dead man’s eyes that he had stared into with hope merely seconds ago.

 

“You know what, Ji? I think it’s time that we take the next step, what all of this has been leading towards. Come on, baby bro. I don’t think that this place really suits my tastes. Something is really stinking up the hallway.” Gyujin pulled Jisung in close, the possessive grip placed around his shoulders making the younger boy shudder. Gyujin wasn’t just as bad as he was when he was younger. No, he was so much worse.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The red-brick mansion sat a little outside of the city limits. As always, Jisung was told the bare minimum of what he needed to know and after the strike he received the previous day, he wasn’t going to ask for any more information. It was so easy to walk through the front gates and stroll right up to the front door. There was no visible security, almost as if whoever lived here wasn’t expecting someone like Gyujin to come to their home and ruin everything they had built here. Jisung assumed that this wasn’t a simple snatch and run mission, it seemed that Gyujin was too hyped for that.

 

“Ji, are you ready?”

 

He didn’t know what he was supposed to be ready for but nodded nonetheless. Tipping lightly off of the doorbell, Gyujin glided backwards to fall beside Jisung, hands clasped politely in front of him. The artificial light that illuminated the two boys flooded from the hallway into the darkness of the night.

 

“Yes, can I help you?” To Jisung, the woman looked to be in her late thirties, perhaps early forties and held the kind sort of smile that made him sure that she was a mother. Her flowing, emerald morning gown pooled around her feet as she moved a little further forward to get a better look at the two visitors. She tilted her head and readjusted her round glasses to make sure she wasn’t seeing incorrectly. Jisung didn’t like the turn it took when the woman’s smile immediately dropped from her face when she realised who was standing in front of her.

 

“Gyujin? W-what are you doing here?”

 

“Hey, Mom. I can still call you that right? You told me to refer to you like that when the agency dropped me off at your house. Just because we’re in a different world, it shouldn’t make a difference, right?”

 

Jisung could see the woman flinch at the young man’s honeyed words and knew that the way that Gyujin was speaking to her held something much darker beneath the surface. Moving at lightning speed, the woman in front of them began to turn and alert whoever was in the house but was harshly grabbed by the air around her and flung towards the venetian mirror that hung on the left side of the sizeable foyer, shattering when her body came into contact with the glass. Struggling to raise from the ground, she lifted her head to stare at the Mage, wiping at her face to dislodge the shrapnel from being thrown so forcefully.

 

“Is Dad around? How about Micha and Dongmin? I’m sure that they’d want to see their hyung again. Shall we call them out to play?” Gyujin carefully grazed the woman’s face, smearing her blood all over his hands.

 

“You stay the hell away from my family. Why do you think we left you in the first place?”

 

The delicate smile on Gyujin’s lips suddenly dropped as he stared the woman down. Slowly raising from the ground, the boy gazed backwards at Jisung who was frozen in place, not looking at the woman still trying to get up from the ground.   
  
“Ji, pay attention.” The tone in his voice told Jisung that he was not playing around but the Thief kept his eyes firmly set on the ground, crawling back inside his own head to disassociate from the torture taking place in front of him. His head suddenly snapped up and he automatically opened his eyes when he realised he had not been the one to make him raise his stare from the ground.

 

“I told you to pay attention. Look at me.” Jisung did as he was told, glancing at the woman with sadness in his eyes, attempting to let her know that he didn’t want to be a part of this, that this was wrong. A scream echoed throughout the place when Gyujin roughly stamped upon her hand with a blank expression.

 

“Hyunae?! What happened? Are you-” The man that came bolting down the stairs stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his wife on the ground, glass around her fragile form, her blood painting the ceramic tiles. Gripping onto his pant legs with little hands, two heads peaked out to stare at Jisung when they realised that these men weren’t supposed to be in their home. They couldn’t have been more than seven or eight and the queasiness in the pit of Jisung’s stomach increased tenfold.

 

“Ah, you’ve finally decided to join the party! Hey, kiddos! Remember me?” Both of the children shyly nodded their heads as Gyujin happily waved at them before retreating to hide behind their father’s form once again. “Dad, come on down here and join your loving wife. Ji, their relationship was the strongest I’ve ever seen. Truly a match made in heaven.”

 

The man warily looked between the two boys before placing his hands behind him to try and shield his children from the sight in front of him. “Gyujin, how did you know we were here? How did you manage to get in? They don’t let just anyone in here.” Jisung wondered what he could possibly be referring to, talking like he wasn’t just asking his brother how he got into the house but more like how he managed to get into Phantasm.

 

“Hey, don’t ask me. I didn’t ask to be put in this place but you seem to know a lot more about it than I do. You seem to know who runs this place but to be perfectly honest, none of that really concerns me. I just want to talk to you about something.”

 

The man glared at Gyujin, trying to protect his kids but at the same time, wishing he could run to his wife’s side.

 

“Really? You’re going to make me force you to come down here? Fine, have it your way. I gave you a chance.” The young girl was ripped from her father’s leg and made to make her way down towards Gyujin, though she had no say in the matter. She screamed as she walked and Jisung knew it was because of the fire now running through her veins, he had felt that feeling before and for someone so small to endure it was a painful thing to watch. Fatherly instincts kicking in, the man rushed down the steps towards the girl, pulling his son closely behind him. The family of four were now huddled together as the blond boy had the biggest smile of satisfaction on his face that he had this much power over his adoptive family.

 

“So, you all seem really happy here. You’ve made a new life for yourselves, huh? One without me? Not very amicable of you. Not when I acted like such an angel for you to try and keep up this perfect family dynamic going.”

 

“Angel? You are anything but. Do you think we didn’t notice the kind of boy that you were? How money was always going missing? How our children were constantly being injured and were too scared to tell us about what happened? How you never had a speck of empathy in your body? We know exactly the kind of person you are, Gyujin and we wanted to get as far away from you as possible. Why do you think we signed up for this program in the first place? We wanted to start a new life. There were other factors but you were the number one reason that we agreed to be put in Phantasm.”

 

“I’m hurt that you would think that anything of what you just said is true. You guys left me and you think that I’m the bad guy? Do you realise the shit I had to endure when all of you dropped off the face of the earth? Having such a high social standing, did you think that people wouldn’t notice when all of you went missing and I was the only legal family of yours that was left? No matter how many times I told the police that I had no idea where you went, they wouldn’t believe me. Constantly hounding me and accusations came flying from everywhere. Did you ever think about what I had to endure? People avoided me like the plague, so certain that I was the cause of your disappearance but without a smidge of evidence, what could they do? Why would there be any evidence when I did absolutely nothing to any of you? You put me through a hell of a lot, all because you wanted to start a new life for yourselves. I was left on my own once again and I didn’t take to it very kindly.”

 

“Not our problem. We would have never left if it wasn’t for you.” Gyujin looked the man up and down before grinning and ushering him away from his family with the flick of his wrist.

 

“Ji, I’m going to have a little talk with him. Be a dear and make sure the others don’t do anything while I’m busy.” Jisung nodded resignedly and turned his eyes back to the woman and children cowering in front of him. Screams of pain emanated from behind him and Jisung receded once again, thinking about the man’s words. He said that he had volunteered to be put here, unlike himself and Gyujin who seemed to have been placed here against their will. His concentration was broken when a weak grasp was placed around his ankle and he met eyes with the terrified woman.

 

“Darling, I can see it in your face, you don’t want to be a part of this anymore than we do. You also know what kind of person he is, I know you do. Listen carefully to me, there is a panic button underneath the staircase. If you press it, then it will alert the guards stationed nearby that something is wrong. You can stop this. Please, I don’t want my children to endure any more of this.” She pleaded with the Thief and she cradled her children close to her chest. On the verge of tears as he listened to the pleas for help, Jisung bent down to give a reassuring smile to the terrified boy and girl before turning to their mother.

 

“I can’t. I’m so sorry. You know what he’s like and I’m- I’m so scared. I don’t want to be a part of this anymore but I’m terrified of the pain he’s capable of producing. I can’t help you.” Jisung was so ashamed of himself. He knew that alerting the guards would be the right thing to do, the brave thing to do but that hold that Gyujin had over him kept him firmly in place.

 

“Then let me go.” Before he could stop her, the woman was on her feet, rushing towards the location she had revealed to Jisung moments ago. She slammed her fist against the small button as an alarm rang out throughout the house. Gyujin spun around and glared at the woman before throwing daggers at Jisung.

 

“Unbelievable, couldn’t do a simple fucking job right. Whatever, I was just getting bored anyway. Dad, you left me and the pain that I went through? I’m going to make you feel it a thousand times more.” His eyes never leaving the bruised man beneath him, Gyujin raised his palm towards the two children situated beside Jisung as they screamed as their blood burned inside of them.

 

Jisung wasn’t going to sit there and take this anymore. These were kids and whatever battles Gyujin had with his adoptive parents, these children had nothing to do with it. He leapt forwards yelling his brother’s name before he was flung back into the pile of broken glass that scraped his skin.

 

A mother’s screams have a sound all their own, something chillingly haunting about them. When Jisung managed to raise himself from the floor, he noticed her crouched form, wailing, sobbing over the still bodies of her children and Jisung immediately turned his head to empty his stomach onto the floor beside him. This wasn’t happening. He wasn’t a part of this. This was not happening.

 

The screaming ceased quite suddenly and once Jisung turned his head to investigate the cause, he noticed the woman’s body joining her children’s on the cold tiles, following them into the next life. It didn’t take long for Gyujin to stop toying with the man beneath him before his sobs halted almost immediately afterwards. Having finished his mission, Gyujin stretched into the air, seemingly unaffected by the murders he had just completed. He turned with a smile that made Jisung want to throw up again but his stomach had pretty much emptied itself the first time around. He couldn’t register what was happening before Gyujin loomed over him and began to lay into him for failing to complete the one job he had asked of him. Once he was satisfied that Jisung had endured enough pain, his strong hands descended upon his neck.

 

“I ask you to do one simple thing, keep them under control and you’re so absolutely useless that you couldn’t do it. I don’t need someone who can’t listen to me or goes against me. Hyung is really sorry, Ji but we’re done here.”

 

Jisung writhed underneath his brother, desperately trying to free himself from the murderous grip he had around his throat. He felt around himself for something, anything that could deter Gyujin from completing a fifth murder in the grand mansion. His fingers clasped around something, a piece of glass from the shattered mirror and brought it up to Gyujin’s face. Dragging it along his right eye, Gyujin let out an unnatural scream, releasing Jisung’s throat to stop the copious amount of blood now falling from the injury that Jisung had just inflicted. Finding the strength that he needed, Jisung pushed his brother off of him while he screamed at the pain. The Thief could hear shouts from outside and knew that the alarm that the woman had set off had worked, just not in time. He wasn’t going to stick around any longer to find out how this particular story was going to end. Begging with his legs to keep going, he ran out the front door, leaving Gyujin behind, leaving the bodies of those he could have saved behind, leaving a small part of him behind too.  

 

* * *

 

“So I ran and kept running until I eventually arrived at Haknal. It took me just over two days. I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep, I just wanted to get as far away from all of that as fast as I could. Joomi-ssi found me exhausted and starving in the early morning in an alleyway. She asked me where I got the marks around my neck and my other injuries but I didn’t respond to her for the first week she looked after me. I was a shell with pretty much nothing inside. The nightmares were indescribable. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see their faces, hear their screams and only when I met Changbin hyung did they actually stop, though they occasionally still pop up from time to time. Joomi-ssi eventually got me out of myself, little by little but I still never told her about what happened, what I was a part of. I’ve actually never told anybody, except for now.”

 

Chan wondered if there was anything that could actually be said that would accurately describe the emotions that were circling through his mind. He could see Jisung’s tears freeing themselves once again as they hit his clasped hands.

 

“Holy shit, Jisung.” Changbin had been the one to break the silence as he stared in horror at Jisung’s shaking form. Never in his wildest dreams would he have ever thought the happy-go-lucky Thief, his friend, would have ever gone through something like that. He had never alluded to anything but when he had finally managed to convince Jisung to travel with him, he remembered Joomi pulling him aside and asking Changbin to look after the younger boy with a pleading look in her eyes but he thought that was simply her motherly instinct taking over. Perhaps she knew more than she had let on and was begging Changbin to help Jisung get back to the way he used to be.

 

“Last I heard, the guards took him away but his imprisonment didn’t last very long. There was some sort of riot where he was being held and he managed to escape but I heard that he took down a hell of a lot of guards before he left. Now, he’s out in the open and has had six months to improve his devastating abilities. That’s why he has such a high bounty on his head. I think it was something like a hundred thousand gold coins. And that is the reason that Minho left.”

 

Nobody said anything but Jisung took their silence to mean that he should continue his explanation. “The night after we met Hyunjin and Felix, I slept in the same room as Changbin hyung. Do you remember waking up and asking me what was wrong, hyung?”

 

Changbin searched his memories for the one Jisung was referring to and nodded once he vaguely remembered stirring in his sleep because he thought he had heard Jisung talking to someone.

 

“Someone actually snuck into my room and almost attacked me because they thought I was Gyujin. Something about the fact that we had similar auras. They realised before they did anything that I wasn’t who they were looking for and asked me where Gyujin was, saying that he needed to pay for what he had done. We didn’t speak very much before Changbin hyung woke up and they fled. It was Minho, he’s not a Shadow, he’s a Tracker and the only reason he came along with us in the first place was so that he could keep an eye on me in case Gyujin finally decided to show up and get revenge. Everything was an act just so he could possibly get his bounty. All of it, the way he presumably felt about- it was all a lie. He wasn’t who he said he was.”

 

With eyes still focused on Jisung, Seungmin began to play with the narrow scarf around his neck and thought back to how comforting Minho had been when he had become self conscious about the bruises on his throat. He thought back to the way he had examined his injuries when he and Jisung had broken into Siwan’s home and treated him so carefully, like he was made of glass. He thought back to when they had shown up to rescue them, how he had hugged the older boy as a form of thanks for coming back and how gently the other had returned the embrace. He knew that Jisung wouldn’t lie to them about something like this but couldn’t help but feel that the way Minho had behaved around them wasn’t an act, not in the end anyway.

 

“Minho figured that Gyujin might have had something to do with why I was nearly killed tonight. His tongue slipped and he made a mistake. He finally let it go that he knew who Gyujin was and from that, I managed to discover everything. I still can’t believe I fell for it.”

 

It was becoming increasingly harder for Changbin to accept that what Jisung was saying was the truth. There had been a few instances where Minho had slipped up with his words or reacted in a different way to the rest of the group but the way that he treated all of them with such compassion just didn’t seem fake to him. He couldn’t understand when Jisung was telling him that it was all a ruse. If he didn’t care about them, then why did he volunteer to scout Siwan’s house with Jisung and help them rescue Jeongin and Seungmin? Why did he keep Felix’s secret about being too scared of the haunted house so that he wouldn’t lose the bet and pay for their food? Why would he go through the trouble of saving Jisung’s life in the bar when it wouldn’t make any difference to him? Why did he visibly see the older boy melt inside whenever he looked at the Thief? To Changbin, it just didn’t make sense.

 

“Jisung, did Minho tell you all this? That he had tricked you this whole time?” Chan didn’t want Jisung to think he was accusing him of lying but needed to make absolutely sure that there were no misunderstandings.

 

“He never denied anything when I was asking him about everything he had done up until now. When he finally decided to speak, he said that I may have started out as just being part of a job but that things had changed. He said that we all helped him and that he cared about me. Of course he would say something like that to try and save his own skin when I’d just discovered everything that he’s lied about. It wasn’t a misunderstanding, that was just the type of person he was.”

 

The Knight bowed his head before turning it to gaze at Woojin. The older boy was staring back at him, biting his lip, his eyes asking a thousand questions. Had they really been fooled by someone they had come to hold so dear? As much as they didn’t want to believe it, Minho wasn’t here to defend himself and they had to assume the worst about this situation.

 

“Look, I-I understand if you guys don’t want me around anymore. Believe me, I get it. It would put all of you in far too much danger and that was something that I never wanted to do that to any of you when you’ve treated me like family. You really have no idea how much it meant to me, you were more like brothers to me that Gyujin ever was. So, if you want me to go, that’s ok, just know that I’m thankful for everything that you’ve all done for me.”

 

Jisung wasn’t sure who moved first but thought that it didn’t matter when seven boys were surrounding him, hands running through his hair to comfort him, arms placed around his shoulders to calm him, hands clasping his own to ease his anxiety.

 

“You’re not going anywhere, Jisungie, do you hear me? You’re staying right here with your family. If we need to be a little more cautious when it comes to protecting you, then that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Your past is your past and what you were forced to do is in no way your fault.” Woojin lifted Jisung’s chin to make the teary eyed boy stare at him straight on while he sternly told him that this family would not be one that abandoned or hurt him.

 

Jisung broke down as he pulled his friends in closer. He was so afraid of how the others would see him when they knew about who he was and what he had done but it seemed his fears were unfounded. He should have realised in the end that the thoughts in his head were lying to him when they told him that he would always be alone, that nobody would ever love the true him, that his past defined who he was. To the boys around him, none of that was true, none of it mattered.

 

To the boy sitting on the roof underneath the obscured stars, the final member of their team, listening to Jisung’s story through the open window, none of it mattered. He had finally discerned why Jisung had been so terrified to tell him all about Gyujin, why he had hidden it from him despite everything they had been through together. He now understood why his betrayal had stung Jisung even more than he realised because he had used him for his own personal gain, just like Gyujin had done. Minho let his tears fall when he resigned himself to the fact that he would no longer be around to help protect the boy that he loved.


	24. I saw the world in black and white instead of the vibrant colours and shades I knew existed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't bring myself not to put up a new chapter today. Didn't want to break my streak of updating every Wednesday, so here you go! Enjoy!

Woojin didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how this was supposed to be fixed. Jisung looked so small curled up asleep in Chan’s arms as the Knight quietly hummed a soothing melody, resting his cheek on the boy’s mousy locks, swaying with the timing of his song. They had sent the others back to their rooms so that the Thief wouldn’t feel that they were simply staying out of pity for him. He was proud and he was stubborn and even though the older boys knew that the others’ feelings were genuine, Jisung mightn’t see it that way in the state he was in. 

 

Since he was sure that Jisung had finally fallen asleep after so many hours of crying and chiding himself for believing Minho, Chan very carefully laid the boy down on the welcoming pillows while securely placing the cotton blankets over his body. Grabbing Woojin’s hand in his, Chan led him out to the hallway to talk. They wouldn’t stray too far from Jisung’s room in case the boy woke up and thought he was alone. There was no way they were going to let him think that after learning about his past. They were never going to leave him. 

 

“Chan, what the hell just happened? Did we just lose one of our boys?” 

 

Chan leaned against the chilled wall before sliding down to the ground. Looking upwards, the cracked ceiling offered little in the way of answers to Woojin’s question. The white noise inside of his head made him want to claw at his ears to stop the buzzing, to make it all go away. 

 

Kneeling down in front of him, Woojin tried to get a better look at the younger boy’s distraught expression before fitting in beside him and snaking his arm around the other’s waist to pull him in closer. He knew Chan was having a hard time after the loss of one of their team, one of their family and tried to eradicate the uneasiness in the Knight’s heart. Woojin felt unbelievably heartbroken after hearing about what it was that Jisung had to endure, everything that he was forced to do but it hurt him ten times more when he thought that Jisung just didn’t trust him enough to tell him about all of the demons that ate away at him. He had said that he had hidden it to protect them but what about protecting himself? His secrecy had almost cost him his life tonight and one of the reasons that he had survived was because one of their group had known about his brother, albeit without anyone’s knowledge. The fact that Minho was now no longer a part of their team made his chest constrict, the feeling of claustrophobia finally settling in. 

 

“It doesn’t make sense.” 

 

Willing the unbelievably crushing feeling away, Woojin turned to look at the boy now leaning on his shoulder. “What doesn’t, Channie?” 

 

“Everything with Minho, it doesn’t make sense. Jisung didn’t see it but the way he was in the tavern earlier, when he was holding onto him, that wasn’t acting, Woojin. You don’t tremble like that when you don’t care about the person in your arms. Your tears don’t fall that hard when you’re indifferent to how the situation turns out. Jisung mentioned that Minho said he had changed and maybe he was telling the truth on that particular point.” 

 

A resident of the inn passed by the two boys, their squinted eyes gazing at them judgingly before scurrying off to their room. Woojin didn’t care what they looked like to anyone else. They needed each other in this moment and they were going to sit at the side of the dimly lit hallway, holding onto one another, regardless of what others thought about them.  

 

“Channie, I don’t know if any of that matters now. He lied to us and it wasn’t about something insignificant either. You can see how hard Jisungie was taking it, he broke his trust. How could we not have noticed this? We’re supposed to look out for them but I don’t know what we’re going to do now. I don’t know if Jisungie will bounce back from this. He loved Minho, we could all see that but bandages and stitches won’t repair something like this. We need to get through it, we will keep our boys safe, we have to.” 

 

Chan nuzzled into Woojin’s chest, thankful that he had someone who knew exactly how he was feeling trying to guide him through it. The soft pulsating rhythm of the other’s heart allowed Chan to relax a little in Woojin’s arms, though the thoughts of his friend who had apparently used them kept resurfacing. “Woojin, do you think Minho is really gone for good?” 

 

The Bard knew they would have to return to Jisung’s side soon but didn’t know how to approach the situation with the young Thief when he woke up. His heart dropped to his stomach when he thought of how he would feel in Jisung’s situation. Not that he would ever doubt the boy he loved that curled up even further into his arms to try and become comfortable but what if Chan had been the one lying to him? What if the Knight had been in Minho’s shoes and used him for some trifling matter like a bounty? He knew that if he ever managed to get over something like that, it would take a hell of a long time, even if his feelings had been true in the end because when it came to Minho, that was a point that he had most definitely picked up on. 

 

“You know, Channie, I think that this time, he may not come back. He probably listened to Jisung when he said that he never wanted to see him again. I don’t think he’d want to hurt him anymore than he already did.” Woojin held onto Chan just a little bit tighter as he pressed a gentle kiss to the soft curls on the top of the boy’s head. He could try and make Minho out to be the bad guy all he wanted but it was such a difficult thing for him to do. He loved Minho and so did Chan. All of the boys did and they didn’t ever question that Jisung did too but what had become increasingly obvious to Woojin, especially over the last couple of weeks, was that the feeling was mutual. Chan was right, it hadn’t been an act, he cared about all of them. He sighed into Chan’s hair at the thought of the Tracker’s broken relationship with the sleeping boy that had spilled far too many tears over him because, more than anything, he knew that Minho loved Jisung with all his heart too.  

 

 

* * *

 

With his body feeling drained, Jisung actually managed to sleep through the night, greeting the morning sun as it broke through the window. His heart tried with all of its might to convince him that what happened last night had simply been a dream, a nightmare but his head wouldn’t allow him to believe such a thing. The first thing he saw after coming out of his sleepy daze was his two oldest hyungs asleep at the end of his bed; Chan’s legs draped over Woojin’s as the Bard wrapped his arms around the younger and allowed his head to rest on his chest. It made Jisung’s heart sting, the sight of such contentment and love, something he was sure that, now that Minho was gone, he would probably never have. He didn’t want to look at them any longer. He was more than happy that they had both found someone that they cared about so much but right now, it was the last thing he needed to see. 

 

The springs creaked a little too loudly for Jisung’s liking as he hopped off of the bed but it seemed to make no difference to either of the boys that remained asleep. Opening the glass doors that led out onto the miniscule balcony that the room provided, Jisung looked out over the capital city. The brightness of the sun flared down on him and he thought it was awfully inconsiderate of the weather to be so warm and pleasant when he himself was in such a gloomy state. It wasn’t quite time for people to be up and about roaming the streets, yet there were a few stragglers bumbling about. Jisung wasn’t sure if they were heading out to start a new day or returning home from the previous one. He began to lean over the railing to get a better look at the street below, probably a little further than was acceptable for his safety, before he felt a tight grasp around his waist that yanked him backwards. 

 

“Jisung, stop! I know you may be feeling down but jumping isn’t going to solve anything!”

 

“Hyung, what the fuck are you talking about? I was only looking at the people walking in the street. I wasn’t going to jump! Let me go.” Jisung unwound Changbin’s arms from around his waist and glared at the Medic who, by the terrified look on his face, actually thought that Jisung was going to leap off the balcony. He hadn’t quite gotten to that stage. More than anything, he was just tired, even after sleeping for nearly seven hours. Jisung returned his gaze to the horizon when he realised that he was gaining a pitiful look from the older boy and he couldn’t take looking at that, not yet. 

 

“How are you feeling, Jisungie? Any pain? Nightshade is powerful stuff. I tried to heal you as much as I could but the antidote that he gave you did most of the work. Minho-”   
  


“Don’t. Just, don’t.” 

 

A heavy sigh mixed into the wind as Changbin looked on at his devastated friend. He could say the sweetest, most comforting things in the world to Jisung but he knew that where he was right now, it wouldn’t make a difference. 

 

Once he had been sent back to his room that he had been sharing with Minho, it didn’t take long for the empty space to attack him with its silence. It only slightly surprised him when he noticed that all of Minho’s belongings were gone. His backpack, his clothing, his Katana; nothing remained of his friend that he had seen mere hours ago. He had managed to sneak in and out in the time that Changbin had spent with Jisung and the others, trying to calm the Thief down. He knew that Jisung was hurting the most, based on the kind of relationship he had with the Tracker but that didn’t stop Changbin from hurting too. He knew that Jisung saw only one course of action when he learned about who Minho was but it had been so sudden, so unprecedented that Changbin didn’t quite know how to come to terms with what had happened. He already missed his friend, his hyung, his family but knew that Jisung had probably been right when he reacted the way that he did. He realised why Minho could have been hesitant to tell Jisung about himself, what he was but why couldn’t he have told him? He may have reacted harshly at first too but knowing the way Minho felt about Jisung, Changbin thought that he would have figured it out with the older boy together.

 

It didn’t take long before a small knock had come upon his door, Jeongin and Felix peeking their heads inside first before scampering into the room. Telling Changbin that they could hear Jisung crying through the walls, they wanted to escape from hearing their friend in so much pain. Neither of them said anything but Changbin knew that they were suffering just as much as he was; not to mention the fact that they both looked a little rattled after hearing about Gyujin and what he was setting out to do. They huddled together on the single bed, with Changbin trying to distract them with some playful spells he had learned from the books he had purchased in Aquiria. Placing his finger on the tip of Felix’s nose, he recited the phrase that caused the younger boy’s hair to become tousled by an unseen wind before it slowly changed from platinum blond to a fiery red. Jeongin gasped in surprise, amazed by the spell and how good Felix looked with his newly coloured hair. Changbin agreed, he did look incredible but just when the Medic was about to change it back, Felix stopped him. Pulling down a strand of hair and admiring it, Felix stated that he would like to keep it this way, just for a little while. The Medic gulped and concluded that he had just made a very big mistake. Felix always looked amazing with his bleached blond hair but the fact that his freckles seemed even more prominent now that his hair was darker made the older boy’s heart skip a few beats. 

 

Changbin eventually showed both boys a withered, leather bound book which told them in detail about some of the myths of this world. Felix stopped on a page about dragons and how it was said that some beast masters could summon them if they had enough control over themselves but the freckled boy knew he would never manage that when he could only summon one, docile monster at the moment. 

 

After a little while, Seungmin and Hyunjin also made their way into Changbin’s room, both boys falling in beside the others to read the stories before they all drifted to sleep. Changbin had woken first and made his way to Jisung’s room, where he observed Chan and Woojin slumbering on the bed and knew that they must be tired since they had probably kept watch over Jisung for most of the night to make sure he wasn’t too distressed. His heart flew into his mouth when he saw Jisung leaning over the railing of the balcony. He knew that he would be terribly upset about the loss of Minho but didn’t think he would take it this far. Running to grab the boy, it seemed that his fear was irrational when the Thief brushed him off with a scowl, obviously not in the mood to be babied by the older boy. 

 

“Jisungie, about the tournament, we’re not going to compete anymore, alright?” 

 

“What?”

 

“Look, if we pull out now, we’ll still get third place. That’s good enough for me, so we’re going to let the judges know that this is as far as we’re going to go.” 

 

Jisung swung around with disbelief evident on his face. Changbin knew that he was going to say that he didn’t need to tell the judges that, that he was alright and wouldn’t let something like this interfere with how he performed in the tournament but Changbin wasn’t an idiot. He knew Jisung too well, a perk of spending the last five months together. Though he was pretty vocal about how he felt about certain things, he knew that the boy could recede into himself when something bothered him, when he was trying to hide how he felt. 

 

“Hyung, we don’t need to do that. I’m ok, I’m not going to let this keep affecting me! We’ll compete as if nothing happened! Come on, we’re so close.” 

 

“You seemed to be pretty affected when you were crying last night. Did you know Lix and Innie had to come to my room because they could hear you sobbing through the walls? No, Jisung, we’re done. You don’t get over something like this that quickly.” 

 

“Hyung!”

 

“I said no, Jisung!” 

 

He knew that Jisung would be upset with him but he didn’t care. Changbin wasn’t worrying about the competition anymore, it seemed so insignificant compared with what they were dealing with right now. He didn’t want Jisung to lose focus in the middle of their fight and see the younger get hurt because he was too busy thinking about Minho and Gyujin. The Medic also knew that Jisung was trying to be brave for him because he could see it in the Thief’s eyes that the main reason he wanted to keep going was for Changbin. He didn’t want to let the older boy down after all the work they had put into this but Changbin just wanted Jisung to know that he could never disappoint him. Pulling the boy down to the sun lit floor of the balcony, he positioned himself so that Jisung was leaning against his chest, a small pout pulling his lips downwards. 

 

“Why can’t you do as you’re told? Always have to have some sort of retort when it comes to me, huh?” Wrapping his arms around the boy’s neck, Changbin placed his chin on top of Jisung’s head as they watched the sun continue to rise over the buildings. Moments like this made Changbin realise how beautiful this place really was but it seemed so trivial when he heard the sobs break from Jisung’s form once again. He was not fine and that was ok. He knew something like this would take time to get over, if he ever managed to actually do that but he was going to help his brother through this, no matter what. 

 

* * *

 

Though both of the teams that had entered the competition initially were no longer competing, the group thought that they should still go along to the final match to support Bambam and Yugyeom after all they had done for them. Everyone remained pretty much silent as they got ready throughout the morning, nobody saying the reason but everyone knowing why. The only spike in the mood of the group came when Felix eventually emerged from Changbin’s room and Chan did a double take upon seeing the differently coloured locks on his head. He made a motion that let the Knight know that he would explain later. 

 

After a little while, Felix had noticed Jisung sitting on his bed, still in his pajamas and wondered why he was taking his sweet time getting dressed when they were all pretty much ready to leave. Creeping over to the boy who had his unfocused eyes firmly set on the ground, Felix hunched down, grabbing the other’s hands in his. 

 

“Jisungie, why aren’t you getting ready?” 

 

“I don’t think I’m going to come along with you guys today. I’m not feeling that great.” 

  
One might surmise that Jisung was trying to say he felt ill and that was the reason he wouldn’t be joining them but Felix knew that it wasn’t a sickness of the body but of his heart. 

 

“Jisung, please come along. You can’t stay here all day by yourself. You know Channie hyung and Woojinnie hyung won’t let you, not after what you told us last night. Come on, let’s go. I’ll help you get dressed.” 

 

Jisung was about to retort, to say that he wasn’t a child that needed help with a task as simple as that but the woe building up inside of him really did take a toll on how much he was able to do. He took the shirt that Felix handed to him and thanked him with a small smile. Felix did eventually manage to get Jisung into his clothes and found all of the other boys waiting outside of their room for them. They had obviously been there for a while but nobody said anything as they knew they couldn’t rush Jisung when he was like this. 

 

Small talk buzzed between the members as they made their way down the street but the overall atmosphere remained quiet and reserved. Jisung fell behind Chan and Woojin, who kept looking backwards to make sure that the Thief was still with them, both physically and mentally. Seungmin and Changbin fell on either side of him and maneuvered him quite a few times so that he wouldn’t crash into people walking in the other direction. On one particular gentle movement from Seungmin, Jisung looked up to meet the boy’s eyes. 

 

“Seungmin, how long are you going to keep wearing that thing? Don’t you think you should throw it away?” 

 

The Illusionist played with the frazzled ends of the woolen scarf as he felt everyone’s stare fall onto him, even if they were trying to be as discreet as possible about it. 

 

“Jisung…” The Thief turned around to look at Hyunjin, the Alchemist obviously not being impressed with the younger boy making Seungmin feel self conscious by drawing attention to the marks around his neck.  

 

“Sorry, Jisung. It’s just that the bruises are still there but I didn’t really have anything else to cover them up with. If you want, I can take it off…” Seungmin began to unwind the charcoal scarf from around his neck but when Jisung saw the indigo bruises that had lessened in intensity but were still there, his hand rose up to stop him from doing so. 

 

“No, Seungmin. I’m sorry, it’s alright, you can keep it on. I’m just being stupid.” 

 

“You’re not stupid, Jisung.” Seungmin gently patted his back, rubbing tiny circles between his shoulder blades to try and unwind the knots that were gathering there from the tension.

 

“Oh yeah? If I’m not stupid, then why did I believe-?”

  
  
“Agh!” 

 

Everyone halted in their tracks to look back at Jeongin as he screamed in the middle of the crowded street. Once he had done it, he thought that perhaps letting out a loud yelp wasn’t the best idea after hearing that Gyujin was out to kill Jisung and possibly harm the rest of them in the process. There was nothing wrong with him, he just wanted Jisung to stop putting himself down, to stop agonising over what had happened last night. He wasn’t sure how to do that, so he did the first thing that came into his head. 

 

“Uh, sorry. You ever have the unbearable need to scream? No? Just me? Alright then. Why are you all standing in the middle of the path? People are trying to get past. Come on, let’s go.” Woojin noticed Jeongin’s dusted, red cheeks as he scuttled past a slightly concerned looking Seungmin and Jisung, laughing a little after realising what it was that Jeongin had been trying to accomplish. It seemed to have worked as nothing more was said about Minho or his scarf that was still nestled around Seungmin’s neck along with Jisung’s arm. 

 

* * *

 

Arriving at the entrance to the arena, Hyunjin saw the elder group of boys approach from the opposite direction, commenting on the perfect timing of their arrival. It seemed that being in the final match made no difference to Bambam or Yugyeom’s disposition as they remained calm and collected while they walked towards the doors. 

 

“Oh, why is there only eight of you? How come Minho isn’t here? Is he not feeling well?” Youngjae questioned. 

 

Chan remained silent as he glanced at Jisung, thankful that he seemed to be too caught up in a conversation with Hyunjin and Jinyoung to have noticed the Scholar’s comment. He wouldn’t go into detail as to the reason Minho wasn’t with them, it just didn’t seem like the right time to reveal that kind of information just yet. 

 

“Yeah, he just has a bit of an upset stomach. He said that he would stay home and rest but he told us to wish Bambam and Yugyeom the best of luck.” He wasn’t quite sure if he imagined it but he was sure he saw Youngjae’s eyebrow twitch at his lie. 

 

Woojin had caught onto the conversation between the two and made a mental note to mention to the others how to handle the topic of Minho’s absence should it ever come up to match with Chan’s story. They had already thought of an excuse as to why Changbin and Jisung would not be competing in the tournament today, saying that an old injury of Changbin’s was acting up again and causing him pain. It wasn’t the greatest excuse in the world but the older boys seemed to accept it, even if there was a bit of a worrisome look in their eyes when they solemnly nodded their heads.

 

They took their seats and waited for the final match of the tournament to begin. Jackson looked to the younger group of boys, his scrutinising gaze focused upon them. He couldn’t say that he knew them all that well, bar Changbin, since he had met all of them only a week ago but he could see that they weren’t the same kids he had been with yesterday, the same excitable boys they had brought to the amusement park a couple of days ago. Something had shifted in the group’s dynamic and he had the strongest feeling that the missing piece that was apparently unwell back at the inn had something to do with it. 

 

The weather was stickly hot today, making their clothes cling to their bodies in a more than uncomfortable way but they endured it to clap loudly as Bambam, Yugyeom and their opponents entered the ring to face the referee. The ghostly man looked ecstatic, Changbin thought. Well, as much as a man with half a face could look. The Medic had left Jisung and the others momentarily to find those running the competition before the matches started. He knew that they might be excluded from the receiving their prize since they were pulling out so suddenly but prizes didn’t mean anything to him now. They had fought with all of their might and this is where they had finished. Changbin was so proud of himself and Jisung for managing to get this far, so no matter how Jisung might feel about it, he was happy. 

 

“Excuse me?” 

 

The man who had been acting as the announcer for the competition came to stand in front of Changbin at the sound of the Medic’s voice, a chilling smile making Changbin feel that something was crawling all over his skin. “Seo-ssi, what can I do for you?” 

 

“I just wanted to let you know that Jisung and I will be dropping out of the competition from here on out. Uh, thank you for allowing us to participate but there are some...personal matters that won’t allow us to continue. I hope that you understand.” Changbin didn’t particularly enjoy being pleasant to these people but since they were proxies for those who ran Phantasm but he didn’t want to possibly piss them off and incur some of their wrath that would come in the form of some weird accident that would eliminate them from the game. 

 

“That’s quite understandable, Seo-ssi, especially after everything all of you have just gone through.”

  
  
“I’m sorry, what?” 

 

“Have a pleasant day. We will see you at the closing ceremony for you to claim your prize.” And with that, the man retreated back to the other judges sitting at the back of the room. 

 

The Medic looked towards the group of specteres and wasn’t quite sure if he had interpreted what the man had said correctly. After everything they had all just gone through? He got the feeling that he hadn’t simply been talking about what had happened to Seungmin and Hyunjin in the ring a couple of days earlier. It sounded like he had been referring to Minho but there was no way that he could possibly have known anything about that. Right?

 

Changbin was brought back to the present when he heard the crowd cheer as Bambam attacked his opponent with his weapon. The Medic didn’t even noticed that the match had already in full swing, the Dark Sniper and Paladin already having a major upperhand in the battle. He could see the reason why his friends had made it this far in the competition. He was so used to watching them on a screen backstage but when he was seeing the real thing, all of the movements became more fluid, filled with precariousness. In a way, Changbin felt that despite probably having planned everything that they could have when they knew who they were fighting, their opponents never really stood a chance. One of the men went flying backwards when Yugyeom sent a spiral of dark energy towards him, blasting him into the side of the arena, knocking him out. His teammate conceded defeat pretty shortly afterwards, becoming breathless and disorientated after trying to keep up with Bambam’s limitless energy. It was over in a matter of minutes, everything that this had been building up to the last week.

 

With the sound of the referees voice, the match and the tournament overall had successfully come to a close. The boys in the stands elation was loud, all of them bouncing up and down at Bambam and Yugyeom’s win. It didn’t even hit them right away that since the two had come first in the tournament that one of them would be allowed to return to the real world until Chan inquired as to who would be going back. 

 

“Oh yeah, one of them has to go back. I think they were discussing it and said that Yugyeom would probably be the one to go. I’ll be honest, I’m a little hesitant to let either of them go back but we both know this is probably going to be their only chance of freedom without going through the Fortress. I know they wouldn’t want to waste this opportunity.” 

 

Chan knew exactly what Jaebum was feeling because throughout the competition, he was constantly dreading if one of his team were to win and be sent back. He didn’t trust whoever ran this place but knew that Jaebum had been right when he said that they wouldn’t have wanted to waste this opportunity. Luckily, he didn’t have to worry about that anymore. The reasons that both teams were no longer in the competition was not something to celebrate though. 

 

Jisung’s little claps drew Jeongin’s attention to him and saw that he had managed a little smile, momentarily forgetting about all that tormented him, allowing him to congratulate his friends. He knew that Jisung and Changbin would momentarily be called down to the ring since they had still come in third, even after dropping out of the tournament but knew that his hyung wouldn’t want that many eyes upon him, even though nobody would know what he was going through. Jeongin knew from experience what it was like to have people staring at you when you were not in the right state of mind. 

 

“Jisungie hyung, they did really great, right? One of them will actually get to leave Phantasm. I’d be really scared if I had to do something like that. Not that I don’t want to go back, I do, especially if it’s with all of you but it’s still scary.” 

 

“Yeah, I guess. It could have been Changbin hyung if it weren’t for me. I just- ow! Jeongin, what the hell?!” Jisung fervently rubbed his arm after the youngest boy pinched it with great force. 

 

“Stop blaming yourself, hyung. Things have turned out the way that they have. You cannot change it but you can decide how to progress from here on out. We’re here for you, hyung, so smile. You were always really good at doing that and it always makes me smile too. You have that effect on people. Don’t make me pinch you again.” Jeongin moved forward with wiggling fingers before Jisung slapped them away with wide eyes. 

 

“Why are you like this? How can you change from the cutest baby to a demon in less than a second? Ah, don’t pinch me again! That shit hurts!” After the foul words fell from his mouth, both Jisung and Jeongin whipped their heads around to look at Woojin, who seemed to be too immersed in watching Bambam and Yugyeom to have noticed their conversation. Jeongin looked back to Jisung, already laughing hysterically as the Thief managed to get away with such risky behaviour right in front of their oldest hyung. Jisung thought that Jeongin had magical laughter as it managed to flash the younger boy’s braces and its sound caused Jisung to break into small giggles as well, despite his situation. Their maknae had said that Jisung’s temperament made him smile too but Jisung thought that Jeongin had more of an effect on them than he realised. 

 

“Will those who have placed in the tournament please make their way to the center of the ring so that we may begin the closing ceremony.” 

 

Jisung broke away from his conversation with Jeongin when he heard the announcement and felt Changbin gently pull on his hand to lead him to the arena. He turned to look at the Necromancer one last time before he noticed all of the other boys grinning at him, with Jeongin and Felix making silly faces to try and break the tension that hadn’t left the air since Minho had. Jisung truly hoped that these boys knew how much they meant to him and how thankful he was that they were a part of his life now. With a cheeky grin, Jisung followed Changbin down the steps where they took their places in the middle of the area, thousands of eyes upon them. 

 

“Everyone, the grand tournament has finally come to an end. We thank you all so much for your participation and attendance. Your exceptional skills and abilities were truly a sight to behold and I’m sure everyone here will agree with that.” The spectral man gestured to the crowd as if asking for their input to agree with him which came in the form of deafening applause. “And now, the presentation of the prizes.” 

 

Changbin hooked his little finger with Jisung’s, a silent and unnoticeable action to gather the Thief’s attention so that he could throw a reassuring wink his way. The fact that they had managed to get so far did actually surprise Changbin a little, not because they were lacking in any way but because he was so sure that there would be so many other skilled competitors. He wasn’t wrong, there were plenty of experienced fighters but they had managed to fend so many of them off and now they were standing here to receive their prize. 

 

Changbin did begin to wonder why his eyes were suddenly fixated on the sky above him, why his ears had suddenly began to ring but when he felt Jisung grab his arm to try and pull him upward, he realised that he had been lying on the ground. A little scratch on Jisung’s forehead made Changbin look at him questioningly and only when he saw the smoke billowing around the younger boy’s head did he come to the realisation that something had gone very wrong in the last couple of seconds. Turning his head to the side to try and deduce what has just happened to him, Changbin began to wonder if something had exploded extremely close to where they were standing, knocking him down in the process. He raised his hands to his head and brought it back down to gaze at the sticky fluid dripping from his fingers, though the injury he had received didn’t seem overly serious. His hearing slowly started to return to normal and he could hear the screaming, people crying out in pain. He looked to the gaping hole in the stands where he knew people had been sitting but was thankful when he saw that it was nowhere near where his group of friends had been seated but where others were, people that were no longer there. Jisung’s voice finally broke through the haze in his mind and he sat up to look at the alarmed Thief. 

 

“Hyung! What the hell just happened?! What the fuck just exploded?! Are you alright?” 

 

Changbin looked around the arena and amongst everything that he observed, he noticed that the judges that were in the stands previously, as well as the one who had been standing in front of him mere moments ago were no longer there. Changbin thought that this seemed too coincidental. Just as they were going to hand out the prizes to the winners, something had to come and interrupt them? It would have been one thing if they had stuck around and had been as surprised as everyone else that something had combusted within the arena but they hadn’t. Had they planned this from the start? Had this whole thing been a set up? Jaebum and Seungmin’s skepticism about the prizes seemed to have come to fruition; they had obviously never intended to let anyone out of here in the first place. But what was their reason? Why the hell would they go through all of this trouble for it to end like this? 

 

He didn’t have anymore time to think as he heard the shouts coming from his team; Chan and Woojin leading the younger boys towards them, closely followed by Jaebum and the rest as they tried not to get knocked down by the people trying to run in the other direction to get out of the arena. Woojin grabbed both boys, asking if they were hurt in any way but relaxed a little when he saw that they had only endured a few cuts and scratches. 

 

Hyunjin and Seungmin ran up to Jisung to make sure he was alright, while Felix wrapped his arms around Changbin’s neck, his shaky hands conveying how relieved he was that the older boy wasn’t too badly injured. Changbin returned the embrace, his mind still trying to make sense of the situation.

 

“Hyung, thank god you’re both ok. That explosion, I got so scared when I couldn’t see either of you because of the smoke. Your forehead is bleeding, let me see.” Felix gently brushed off of the graze under Changbin’s bangs, eliciting a small hiss from the Medic. He didn’t need to worry about that now, he could fix himself up later once they all figured out what the hell was happening around them. Hysteria seemed to be setting in as people tried to leave, pushing and shoving people out of the way; some falling to the ground and beginning to be trampled by the spectators that wished to save their own lives. Changbin pulled Felix in closer, making sure that he wouldn’t be caught up in the hubbub. However, the Medic’s thoughts about what had occurred were interrupted when he heard a small whimper escape Felix’s lips and pulled back to see the terror in the other’s eyes. He was about to ask what was wrong before he followed the freckled boy’s line of sight and that’s when he saw them: 

 

The sizable group of wild beasts that were making their way into the crowded arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of those comments about who would win the tournament...did you guys seriously think I would let it end so easily? Unfortunately, I'm not that kind! Sorry!


	25. Fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! I hope you had a wonderful new year and that it will continue to be a great year for all of you! Here's the next chapter for you guys. Enjoy!

Changbin thought that it was interesting how quickly his body reacted once he saw the terror in his friends’ eyes. How Felix’s grip on his shirt made him worry that he would rip it, how Chan tried to grab as many of the boys as he could to try and keep them as close as possible, how Jisung instinctively stood in front of Woojin to defend him, even though he knew that the Bard had more of a chance of protecting him. Changbin didn’t need to see anymore before he placed a shield around his entire team. Seemingly, Chan had been of the same mindset when he too reacted with his shield, the snow white and deep azure blending together and fending off the monsters that were running straight for them. Hearing them bang into the side of the dome that protected them, Felix flinched and buried his face into the crook of Changbin’s neck as he tried to distract himself from the numerous beasts that surrounded them. 

 

Before he had arrived at the tavern with the other boys the previous night and all of the terrible events had unfolded, he had done quite well with his training with Changbin and Hyunjin. His control over his Chiyeou, which he had now affectionately called Mani, was pretty much perfected at this stage, with Felix even managing to develop his relationship with the beast and teach him even more attacks that would be useful in a fight. He thought that if he gave the small fox a nickname, it would close the distance between them and strengthen their bond, making it seem less terrifying. It actually seemed to work, despite Hyunjin asking what difference it would make. Once he had called it forth the previous night, he placed himself on the ground and crossed his legs, gaining an interested look from both Changbin and Hyunjin as they tried to figure out where he was going from the sidelines. 

 

_ “Mani, huc.”  _

 

Upon hearing his name, the little fox bounced over to his master with light steps. Mani didn’t seem to notice that Felix edged back ever so slightly when he drew nearer but the boy had positioned himself on the ground so that he couldn’t run away from the monster before he made his way over. Placing his hands on the ground behind him to steady himself, Felix allowed the beast to hop into his lap and curl up, content that he had found somewhere to lay down and rest. Felix knew that how the little monster reacted relied entirely on him, so if he didn’t freak out, then neither would Mani. Felix felt like he was playing with clouds as he stroked the fuzz on top of the little beast’s head. Mani moved upwards a little, leaning into the fingers that gently tickled his scalp. He nuzzled back into Felix’s legs when the boy moved his hands downwards and began to stroke the length of his body, all the way down to its bushy tail. 

 

After all this time, Hyunjin couldn’t believe what he was seeing. This wasn’t the same freckled boy that he had met nearly three months ago, the boy who jumped behind him every time he saw a beast in the distance. Here he was with the thing that scared him the most in the world settled in his lap and he couldn’t be prouder of his best friend for finding the strength to overcome one of what the other considered his weaknesses. To Hyunjin, it was never a weakness but something that was simply a part of who Felix was, no matter how much the other didn’t like it. Now, it was a different story altogether. 

 

“Lix, can I?” 

 

Felix nodded up at Changbin, who bent down to tickle underneath the fox’s chin, the little beast looking up with intrigued eyes at his master, obviously understanding that Changbin was a friend and meant no harm to either of them. On his other side, Hyunjin bent down to place his chin on Felix’s shoulder, murmuring praises on his small but important victory. 

 

It almost seemed as if all of his progress didn’t matter when they were now in the midst of battle, surrounded by monsters on all sides. He was aware that all of his members knew that he was advancing in his skills but that he hadn’t completely overcome his fear yet and was thankful when they all seemed to edge towards him after seeing the beasts break through. Still placed in Changbin’s neck, he had to ask himself where the hell did the beasts came out of in the first place. It didn’t quite hit him right away but they were in the middle of the city, so how did a group this size manage to make their way into the arena? The reason that people always felt safe within the cities of Phantasm was because they were always protected, high walls and guards placed around the area to make sure something like this never happened. Yet, it had. Felix knew that this wouldn’t be possible unless someone had sent them out, unless someone had planned to cause this kind of hysteria. He could hear yelling around them, people trying their best to fend off the monsters, most succeeding, some not. 

 

“Ok, we need to make some kind of decision here. We either have to run or fight. We can’t just keep standing here. Chan and Changbin only have so much energy to keep their shields up and if they break, we’re screwed.” Woojin tried to keep his gaze away from what was happening outside but he was glad to see that even after his battle, Bambam had enough energy to enclose his team in his viridian hued shield too. 

 

“I think we should fight. There are people getting hurt and we can do something about that.” 

 

“Ah, there are the Knight characteristics rearing their head again. Channie hyung, always the hero.” Chan huffed at Jisung, obviously thinking that this wasn’t the time to be joking but Jisung hadn’t said it in a humorous way, simply observing a fact. 

 

“Ok, if you guys are able. Changbin, I want you to take Felix and Jeongin and try to get towards an exit as fast as possible. They can’t-”

 

“Channie hyung, no! I want to stay and fight! I can do this. I’ve made a lot of progress during my training, I can make a difference now, ask Seungmin hyung! Let me stay!” 

 

Chan couldn’t say that he had a chance to observe Jeongin’s skills since he had begun his training, the Knight being too immersed in his own tuition to have time. Trying to protest, he saw the resolve in the youngest boy’s eyes and knew that whatever fear the Necromancer ever had about his powers was well and truly gone. He quickly looked to Seungmin to ask what he thought and when he saw the little, albeit hesitant, nod he sighed to indicate that Jeongin could stay to help them dispose of the beasts. 

 

“Ok, Innie, you can help but you’re to stay near one of us at all times. No running off on your own. In fact that goes for all of you. Ok, Changbin, take Felix and...”   
  


Felix didn’t like where this was going, not one bit. How could he allow himself to be a part of this team if he ran away every time there was a fight? When Jeongin, the boy who collapsed every time he used his powers, was now going to stand alongside their friends and help them. He knew that he was cowardly when it came to something that concerned beasts but he was tired of it. He couldn’t help but wonder how Changbin and the others must think about him in a situation like this, making the Medic flee with him so that he wouldn’t have to fight. It was embarrassing and he was done with it. 

 

“Hyung! You can’t only send me away while all of you are putting yourselves in danger! I’m not going anywhere! I don’t know if I will but I can try to make a difference too! I don’t even need to fight, I can help get some of these people out of here. Trust me a little bit!” 

 

“Oh my god! Why can’t any of you just listen to me?! Lix, it’s one thing for Innie to stay but you can’t. Look, I’m not saying that you’re not strong enough; if we were going up against humans, I would let you take the lead in fighting but these are something that you can’t stand in front of without trembling. So, will you please just go with Changbin?” 

 

Shaking his head like an impudent child, Felix grounded himself while grabbing onto Changbin’s arm to show that he was staying right here with the rest of them, no matter how much what was happening around him scared him. Chan looked to Woojin for some sort of support, his eyes widening to ask what the hell he was supposed to do to get through to the obstinate freckled boy. 

 

“Channie, if he wants to stay, you can’t tell him no. As much as you might not like to hear it, neither of us are his parents so we can’t make him do anything he doesn’t want to. Changbin will look out for him, right?” Chan knew that he didn’t have time to argue with anyone when he saw a few more beasts slip through the open pit where they had already emerged from. 

 

“Alright, fine. Changbin, you guard Felix with your life, do you hear me? Let’s go!”

 

Changbin took a second to look at Felix holding onto his arm before he began to let his shield dissipate. “He said to protect you with my life. Does that mean that your life is more important than mine to Channie hyung? Damn, now I’m hurt.” 

 

Both shields fell with a laugh from Felix before they were thrown into the madness that surrounded them, the older group of boys doing the same. No directions came from anyone but they already knew that they were to split into teams to try and eliminate the massive groups of beasts. 

 

Chan took Jeongin, Jisung and Woojin with him to try and help people who were having trouble deterring the beast’s attacks. Chan knew that if there was ever a time to use the skills that he had been taught by Bambam, then it would be now. Stabbing his sword into the gravel beneath his feet and placing both hands around its hilt, Chan let his energy flow through his weapon, a blood red mist enveloping it. He had to be careful to control the radius of his attack so that he wouldn’t draw too many beasts upon himself at once. Managing to keep his Taunting in check and spreading it within only a couple of meters, Chan drew the attention of numerous beasts towards himself, making their focus shift from the innocent bystanders who had simply been trying to enjoy a day out at the tournament. Upon seeing what he was doing, two young men who were just about to be attacked nodded at the Knight in thanks before Woojin ran up to them and ushered them towards the exit. 

 

Jisung grabbed his Daggers and sprinted at the monsters now running towards Chan as he dragged his sword out of the sand. Jisung lunged towards a Dacheann, a two headed reptilian creature that was covered in light reflecting, silver scales, sharp spikes flowing down both of its necks. It may have had two heads but Jisung had two Daggers, which he swiftly drew along their necks, causing them to fall to the ground. Even now, he thought about what had happened last night but he wasn’t going to let it distract him when his friends and other innocent people were in danger. He continued to make his way through the circle of beasts that Chan had drawn towards them. 

 

“ _ Venez à moi, Poltergeist.”  _ Loud cackles fell from the air like raindrops as a small man, body made of smoke, fell in front of Jeongin. Chan almost got too distracted but managed to dispose of the beast ahead of him with help from Woojin before gawking at the pierrot-looking man that got a little too close to Jeongin’s face for either of the older boys’ liking. 

 

_ “Oh dear, oh dear, how could this be? My master’s come to look for me. I wondered why but now I see, these monsters are attacking thee.”  _

 

The Poltergeist had only been around for a couple of seconds and it was already beginning to annoy Chan with its weird, rhyming speech. His body edged towards the youngest boy when the Poltergeist began to move its hands towards his neck but was stopped abruptly when he heard the cold tone that came from Jeongin. 

 

“Enough. Focus. We’re in the middle of a battle and you are going to help us. You will attack the beasts within the arena and nobody else. Am I making myself clear?” Jeongin stared the prankster down and it seemed to know where it stood after hearing the command it had been given. 

 

_ “Sir, yes sir, I understand. To others I will not raise my hand. I do not dare stray from my path. I would not want to incur your wrath.” _

 

With that, the Poltergeist floated away from Jeongin and towards the beasts that surrounded them. It became apparent to Chan that Yugyeom had probably told Jeongin that being and kind and sweet towards the Poltergeist wouldn’t get him anywhere which is why he held such a dark look in his eyes when he spoke to the ghost. Instead of attacking them straight on, all the Poltergeist seemed to have to do was float through the beast’s bodies before they became still and collapsed to the ground. Woojin noticed that Jeongin was left wide open while trying to control the annoying being floating around them, so he immediately moved to his side and fended the other beasts off with his Spear. 

 

On the other side of the arena, Changbin, Felix, Hyunjin and Seungmin were holding their own in the battle against the monsters. Since beasts didn’t fall for illusions, Seungmin had to settle with using his Bow to eliminate whatever was running for him. Hyunjin watched his back, like he always promised he would and threw fireballs and poisonous gases to slow the monsters down. Felix helped Changbin gather injured people and begin to usher them out towards the doors; Changbin trying to repel anything that came to deter them from doing so. 

 

Felix focused on his job, ignoring the mania still settled within the ring. Mani took his place on his shoulder, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings so that nothing would surprise his master while he worked. Felix’s complete control over Mani allowed their bond to become so powerful over the last couple of days that, strangely, the little fox didn’t even need to be given a command if it knew it needed to act to protect Felix. Being so immersed in trying to escort people away from danger, Felix never noticed the Rothebi slithering along the gravel towards his ankles. Hopping down to the ground, Mani grabbed the serpent in his jaw and began to claw at its scales to cease its movements before using his wind to drive the injured monster away. Finishing his job, the little beast bounced back up to Felix and leapt up onto his shoulders once again to keep look out. 

 

Changbin felt a nudge on his arm and raised his Staff to knock out whatever it was that moved him but halted when he saw Jackson standing there with his hands raised. “Woah, Bin, it’s just me. You need help getting people out of here? I can try and patch people up if they need it. Plus, I’m thinking of just straight up using Cleanse to try and eradicate half of these monsters.” 

 

Changbin knew what Jackson could do when he used Cleanse. In fact, he had taught Changbin how to use it too but it was not a skill to be used lightly. The user could eradicate most dark energies within a couple of miles but the toll it took on their body was incredible. In the first couple of weeks that Changbin had been with the older group of boys, Jackson had learned the skill and tried to test it out but had fallen unconscious for three days after, sporting a rather painful fever and excruciating muscle aches. Changbin, while knowing the spell, had never tried it after seeing what it did to Jackson but thought that it could be awfully helpful for an incident like this. 

 

“Hyung, if you don’t want to do it, I can try instead. I’ve never done it but-”

 

“Nope, you’re not doing it. If I can do it in your place, then there’s no need for you to. I just need you to watch my back while I complete it and get one of the others to drag my unconscious self back to the inn, alright?” Changbin agreed, not wanting to argue since he completely understood why Jackson wouldn’t let him do it. If one of his younger members volunteered to do something that he himself was capable of, there’s no way he would let them if he knew it was dangerous. 

 

“Plus, you’ll need all your strength to help out Lixie over there. Can’t have you fainting and worrying the kid.” The Medic would have tried to protest but he wasn’t going to exert himself and waste energy which could be used for better things. If he was being completely honest with himself, he didn’t want to make Felix worry or distract him either. He was doing his job so well with Mani and had already managed to get a lot people safely out of the arena. It was helpful that Felix’s personality and demeanor had a calming sort of effect on people, making them trust him without hesitation, even in a situation like this, with those he helped flashing grateful smiles towards him. Though Felix may not have needed assistance, Changbin had promised Chan to protect him with his life and thought that may be awfully hard to do if he was no longer awake. 

 

“Ok, hyung, I got you.” Changbin kept his gaze fluttering between Felix and Jackson, making sure that both were safe, though he was trusting Mani to do his job when protecting Felix too. Jackson placed both hands on his chest before murmuring the Cleansing spell as a white light began to leak from beneath his fingertips. Grasping the ball of energy that he had drawn from himself, the Battle Priest slammed his hands into the ground before the whole area flashed and was surrounded by a white light. Changbin heard people shout at the unknown feeling invading their chests but the commotion soon died down when people realised it was not going to hurt them but rather, help them. Once they had regained their eyesight, the people still within the arena now saw that only a handful of monsters remained thanks Jackson’s spell and the efforts of those who had already managed to eradicate so many beasts. It didn’t take too long before the rest of them were wiped out and peace returned to the arena. 

 

Jackson began to stand but stumbled a little before Changbin grabbed onto his shoulders and kept him from hitting the ground. He could already see the sweat beginning to drip down the young man’s forehead and knew that the side effects were already starting to invade his body. It didn’t take long before Jackson’s team was at his side after realising what the Battle Priest had done. Jaebum had always cautioned him, letting him know that only under the most dangerous of circumstances should he attempt this spell. He knew that this was the situation he was talking about but he still wished Jackson didn’t have to go through this kind of pain. He knew the younger man wouldn’t mind if he knew that he managed to keep people safe, that’s just the type of person he was. 

 

Gathering Jackson up onto his shoulders, Jaebum gave a little nod of encouragement towards Changbin. “Bin, I’m going to take Jackson back to the inn. We need to figure out what the hell happened here today but I think we need to rest and regroup. Meet us back at the bar later this evening and we can talk then, ok? Look after your team.” 

 

Showing that he understood, Changbin ushered Jaebum and the rest of his team off while he went to look for his group of friends. He saw Felix nodding towards Jaebum and the others before turning around to meet up with Changbin. The look of determination on his face hadn’t wavered, his resolve to battle through his fear and help those in need shining through and Changbin couldn’t help but feel so very proud of him. 

 

“Lix, you did so well. You should be very happy with yourself.” Changbin moved to pat Felix’s head but his hand was stopped as Mani leaned into the touch instead. “Ah, of course Mani did very well too. Can’t forget about you now can we, you little attention seeker.” 

 

“Hyung, I think we’re safe for now. We should go and see if the others are alright too.” Felix grasped the Medic’s hand as Mani hopped onto the other’s shoulders, something that Changbin thought was rather strange since Felix hadn’t given it any sort of command to do such a thing. So, why would he act on his own to make himself comfortable on Changbin’s shoulders? 

 

The Illusionist and Alchemist were only a few steps away from Changbin and Felix, leaning on each other after exhausting themselves during the fight. They greeted the others with wide smiles, thankful that at least some of their members had gotten away unscathed. Seungmin’s eyes widened at the little fox but quickly came to the conclusion that it was not part of the pack that had come to attack them but rather belonged to Felix and made a motion to pet it as it was curled around Changbin’s neck.

 

Moving even further into the arena, the boys could hear Chan yelling and were about to break into a full sprint but halted when they heard the euphoria in his voice instead. 

 

“Innie! You were incredible! Your powers destroyed so many beasts! I can’t believe I missed how much progress you’ve made in such a short amount of time! Woojinnie, isn’t our boy amazing? We have such powerful kids!” Chan enveloped Jeongin in a bear hug, making the maknae sigh at how over excitable his hyung was. Woojin looked on with sympathy as it was obvious the youngest boy was being squished a little too much for his liking. 

 

“Hyung?” 

 

“Ah, you’re all back! Everyone all right? Thank goodness!” 

 

“Hyung.”   


“Whew, that was an unwelcome surprise, huh? What do think happened? We can figure that out later. Did you guys see how incredible Innie was? I mean, wow!” 

 

“Chan hyung!” 

 

“What, Changbin?”

 

“Hyung, where’s Jisung?” 

 

Chan turned to look behind him, only seeing a few other people who had stayed to fight off the numerous beasts but not locating the Thief anywhere in his peripheral vision. “Jisung?”

 

That was all it took for the elation of managing to get through the fight without being injured to fly into the air. The Knight searched all around him, finally turning to look at Woojin, who had also been scanning the area. “Woojin, where the hell is he?” 

 

“The last time I saw him, he was helping someone up off the ground to my left. That was maybe four or five minutes ago. I don’t...” Woojin shook his head, indicating that he had no idea where the Thief was now. 

 

“You told us to look out for each other but you couldn’t keep your eyes on the person we were supposed to look out for the most today?!” screamed Changbin, Mani instantly jumping to Felix’s shoulders again as the Medic raised his voice. “How could you let him out of your sight after knowing everything that we do about his past now?! What if something happened to him? What if-?”

 

“Hyung, stop.” Felix directed his furious gaze away from Chan and Woojin with the tips of his fingers, gently running his thumbs across the other’s face. “We’ll find him. He might just be waiting outside. Come on, let’s go and check.” The younger boys ran towards the exit that so many people had left through already, with Seungmin and Jeongin giving one last glance backwards towards the older boys who were stuck in place after Changbin had thrown his accusations towards them. 

 

Woojin took a moment to collect himself before he realised that he should follow the others to see if Jisung was in fact waiting for them outside but stopped when he saw Chan grounded to his spot, beginning to shake slightly. 

 

“Channie?” 

 

“I was so busy watching Innie and making sure that he was safe that I forgot about Jisung. How did I forget about Jisung? Changbin was right; he was the one we were supposed to be looking out for the most today, so how the hell did I forget about him?!” 

 

Woojin removed Chan’s fingers from his hair and gently guided them down to his sides, trying to calm the older boy whose eyes were beginning to water at the thought of his failure of keeping one of his members safe. “Channie, Lix was right. He’s probably outside with everyone else. Look at me. You were fighting your own battles too. We all know that Jisung is strong, so it wasn’t your fault that you looked away when we know that he can handle himself, what he’s capable of. Come on, let’s go and check.” Woojin intertwined their fingers and led Chan to the exit where they regrouped with the other boys. 

 

Jisung hadn’t been waiting outside for them. He wasn’t in the bar they had become so used to visiting in Morthan. He hadn’t been waiting back at the inn for them when they went back to check either and that’s when all of them knew that something had gone terribly wrong. 

 

Glaring at the two eldest boys, Changbin positioned himself on Jisung’s bed. “I swear, if something has happened to him-” 

 

“You’ll what, hyung?” 

 

The Medic looked up to meet Hyunjin’s eyes, obviously worried for the well being of the Thief too. 

 

“Channie hyung and Woojinnie hyung were doing their best in the arena too. They were fighting for their lives as much as the rest of us were. You can’t blame them for this!” Hyunjin had come to the realisation that his feelings of doubt and concern always manifested in the form of anger, which is why he had snapped at Seungmin a few days ago and now it was happening again with Changbin. However, the reaction he got was not the same as he usually did. 

 

“I-I know that. I know they were trying hard too. I know it’s not their fault. Channie hyung, Woojinnie hyung, I’m sorry but what if he’s…?” Changbin clasped his hands as he sat on the bed, his eyes falling to the wooden floor below. 

 

“Maybe I can help find him?” All eyes shot to Jeongin who stood sheepishly in the middle of the room. “I can try to send a message to him through a wisp but at the level it’s at now, my energy can only make it travel so far. If he gets it, he will be able to send a message back.” 

 

“It’s worth a shot. Innie, go ahead and try.” Seungmin urged the younger boy to attempt his trick as he called the little spirit forth to complete its mission. After whispering the simple message to make sure that Jisung was safe, Jeongin tried to usher the little spirit off but it remained placed in front of him. The others weren’t quite sure what was happening since they knew the wisp wouldn’t disobey its master, they knew Jeongin had more than enough control over it. 

 

“Innie, what’s the matter? Why isn’t it going?” 

 

“He’s too far away. My energy levels now should still allow me to send the wisp around five miles from here but its telling me he’s too far away. It’s not all bad news though, it means that Jisungie hyung is still alive if all the wisp is complaining about is that he’s not close enough.” 

 

“He’s not within five miles of here? That’s not possible. How could he have gotten such a distance away in such a short amount of time?” Felix tapped on his fingers, trying to calculate how it was possible for Jisung to move at such a speed but then again, maybe he didn’t move of his own volition. 

 

“Why do I get the feeling that Jisung didn’t leave by himself? The commotion in the stadium would have been a perfect opportunity to grab him if someone wanted to. We never leave him out of our sight but we were so busy fighting that today was the only time one of us hasn’t been watching him since we’ve all joined together.” Woojin stroked his thumb across his chin, his thoughts about Jisung’s brother possibly taking advantage of the situation today being conveyed to the others through his taut features.

 

Changbin jumped to his feet, angrily pacing around the room as the others kept their eyes trained on him. “Then how the hell are we supposed to find him? None of us have any kind of ability that could track him down and if he’s that far away, he could literally be anywhere in the world! What are we supposed to do if Gyujin got to him?!” 

 

All remained silent as they desperately tried to think of a way to find and help their family member but nobody could seem to think of a solution in the state they were in. Chan bit his lip and exhaled deeply at the idea that had suddenly popped into his head. “Maybe...maybe there is someone who can help us.” 

 

* * *

 

Swirling the brown liquid around in his glass, Minho debated whether or not he wanted to get full on drunk to try and erase the pain hitting every part of his body. Since he had nowhere to go after what had occurred last night, he had blindly stumbled into the closest bar and once he had been told that they were closing for the night, he walked around the entirety of the city with the backpack full of his belongings hanging on his shoulders before finding his way back to the same bar once they had reopened and sat himself down on the exact same stool. He had already had two drinks and was starting to feel a little tipsy but he was still of sound mind and if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want to be anymore. He didn’t want to keep thinking about the pain he caused Jisung, he didn’t want to keep seeing the look on his face when he had said he had fallen for him and he most definitely didn’t want to remember the way Jisung screamed with pain in his voice as he closed the door behind him. He didn’t want to remember any of it but he knew that it would be burned into his mind for the rest of his life, no matter what he did to try and get rid of it. 

 

Minho thought that he really had nothing to lose at this stage, so he began to sip on his third drink of the evening. He was debating where to travel after he left Morthan, alone. He had travelled by himself for a good portion of the time he had been in the game and he told himself that he could do it again. Maybe he would travel to Riksha or Tourm or maybe he would head even further south. To Minho, it didn’t really matter. He just wanted to leave Morthan as fast as possible but he didn’t want to leave the boys who were still here, not that he was given much of a choice. He took another mouthful of the intoxicating liquid before he felt a strong arm around his shoulder and moved to latch onto the person’s throat. 

 

“Fucking hell! Minho, relax! It’s just me!” 

 

“Yukhei?”

 

“You wanna let go of my throat there, man? Jeez, you are on edge. You alright?” Yukhei rubbed his neck as he looked on at Minho with a worried stare. Everytime Yukhei had ever spoken with Minho, the boy had been reserved and collected but now, he was an entirely different person and the young Assassin couldn’t help but be a little bit concerned at the vast change in his demeanor. 

 

“Sorry, I didn’t know who you were. You scared me.” 

 

“I scared you? Didn’t you hear me coming up behind you? And did you just apologise to me? Christ, man, what the hell happened to you?” 

 

“Nothing. Nothing happened to me. What are you doing here, Yukhei?” Minho pushed the glass away and laid his head down on the counter that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. 

 

“Well, I assume I’m here for the same reason that you are.” 

 

“You’re here to watch the tournament? That doesn’t sound like a very  _ you  _ kind of thing.”

 

Laughing through his nose, Yukhei hopped up on the stool beside Minho and motioned to the bartender for a drink. “You’re right, that isn’t a very  _ me  _ thing. I’m not here to watch the tournament. That’s why you’re here? Ah, you came along with your little group, with his brother? Are you still travelling with him then?” 

 

Minho curled his arms up to cover his head. He knew Yukhei was actually trying to help him unwind by engaging in small talk and he appreciated it but he was bringing up something that he really didn’t want to discuss. 

 

“Wait, if you’re here to watch the tournament, why aren’t you there today? Man, you managed to escape some weird shit if what I heard about was true!” 

 

Minho turned his head as it still rested in his arms. “What weird shit? What happened?” 

 

“You didn’t hear all the commotion around town? Apparently there was some explosion during the closing ceremony. A ton of beasts flooded the arena and randomly started attacking people. They managed to control the situation but I heard quite a few people didn’t make it out.” 

 

Minho was on his feet in seconds. He assumed that the others would still have gone to the tournament after the events of last night but he was unsure whether or not Jisung and Changbin would actually still compete in it. What if some of them didn’t make it out? He could have made a difference if he had been there. What about Felix? He must have been so scared if he was in the middle of a situation like that and it was starting to make Minho panic. 

 

Before the Tracker could inquire any further on the subject with the Assassin, a rather shaky voice broke in between their conversation.  

  
“Minho hyung!”

 

Minho really didn’t think he had drank enough to be hearing the voice of one of his former teammates inside his head, so he shook it, trying to get the echo to stop ringing in his ears.

 

“Hey, Minho, I think that kid is calling you.” Glancing at Yukhei, he eventually followed the Assassin’s line of sight before he saw Jeongin trying to push his way through the people by the front door. His heart jumped at the sight of the young boy and he wanted nothing more than to run up to him and envelop him in a hug after seeing that he was safe but he knew that he had lost that right. Moving to meet him halfway, Minho supported the boy as his legs wobbled upon stopping, trying to catch his breath. It seemed to Minho that he had been running for a while judging from the sweat drenching his clothes. 

 

“Hyung, I finally found you. We need you.” 

 

“Innie, what are you doing here? You can’t be in a place like this.” He glanced upwards at the numerous people who were now staring at the two boys before pulling him closer to where he had been sitting earlier. “Do the others know that you’re here? Look, go back home, you can’t be around me anymore. Jisung wouldn’t want you to be.” The name stung his tongue as it left his mouth but he suddenly forgot about the pain when Jeongin began to speak again. 

 

“Jisungie hyung is gone!” 

 

Crinkles formed on Minho’s forehead as he stared at the younger boy, trying to figure out how something like that could have happened. It made his whole body shudder when he thought about what Yukhei had explained to him and he began to pray to a god that he didn’t believe in that the  _ gone  _ that Jeongin was referring to didn’t mean what he thought it did.“What do you mean? Innie, how can Jisung be gone? Where did he go?”

 

“There was an incident at the arena. When they were giving out the prizes, something exploded and so many beasts came into the arena and started attacking people!” Yukhei crept up behind Minho, starting to become slightly interested in the story spilling from Jeongin’s mouth. It seemed that the rumours he had heard about the tournament had been true. 

 

“The judges disappeared and nobody got any of the prizes. We all stayed to fight and try and help the people that were trapped in the arena and we separated into smaller groups. One minute, Jisungie hyung was right beside me and then he was gone! We thought that he might have just got separated but I tried to send a wisp to give him a message, to make sure he was safe but he was too far away. We need to find him, now! All of us split up to see if we could locate you, we need you to help us track him down. You can help us, right? Please, hyung, please. I’m really worried about him, I’m really scared he won’t come back.”

 

Minho’s blood turned to ice as he listened to Jeongin’s explanation and saw the pure fear that was in the younger boy’s eyes. “Shh, Innie, it’s alright, calm down.” Gently wiping away the Necromancer’s tears, Minho slowly turned to the Assassin situated behind him when he realised the reason that he could have come to Morthan. “Yukhei, why are you here?” 

 

“Minho, I thought you knew. Some of my contacts told me that Gyujin was in the area, so I came to see if I could track him down.” 

 

If he hadn’t been holding onto Jeongin, Minho was sure he would have collapsed on the spot. Bile began to rise up in his throat at the thought of where Jisung could be right now but he knew that he had no more time to waste. He grabbed onto Jeongin to tell him to let the others know that he would help and to meet up back at the inn. Minho simply nodded towards Yukhei as he ran out of the bar, the young Assassin roughly gathering what was just after taking place in front of him. 

 

* * *

 

Whispers hit Jisung’s ears but he couldn’t quite make out what they were saying just yet. The voices belonged to a man and a woman but they were unintelligible as they kept their tones low. The Thief realised that he was sitting in a chair, the uncomfortable seat making his legs begin to ache and he wondered how long he had been in this position. He tried to shift but felt a strong harness of some kind around his chest and hands, restricting his movements and this caused Jisung’s mind to go into overdrive. Why was he tied to a chair? He had been fighting with the others in the stadium after the beasts had broken through and attacked so why couldn’t he remember what had happened after that? He began to force his eyes open, though it was difficult. 

 

“You did so well, my dear. I’m going to have to think of some way to reward you.” 

 

No. No, no, no. Jisung ceased all movement as he finally recognised why the voice belonging to the man had sounded a little familiar. He wondered if he was reliving a nightmare where he first met his brother but he knew that he wasn’t asleep, the pain in his temples making it clear that he was completely conscious. The Thief was actually starting to consider just biting his tongue and getting out of this situation before it had a chance to even begin but he obviously hadn’t been as stealthy about his movements as he thought he had been. 

 

“Gyujin-nim, he’s awake.” 

 

Upon hearing confirmation of his name, Jisung’s eyes began to well up with stinging tears and he knew that what he was going to momentarily experience would be unlike anything he had ever encountered before. 

 

“This seems to be slightly familiar. You pretending to be asleep so that you don’t have to look at me. Come on, Ji, I thought you would have advanced your skills just a little bit in the time that we’ve been apart but it seems not? You’re still far too easy to read.” The calloused hand caressed Jisung’s cheek and he knew that it was better to simply meet the eyes of his brother rather than try to avoid them and enrage him. Jisung had kind of forgotten about the smaller details of his escape from the other, so when he looked up to lock eyes with Gyujin, he noticed the rather long, jagged scar running over his right eye, forcing it shut so only one of the glistening pupils stared back at him. 

 

“Admiring your handiwork, Ji? Your little stunt with the broken glass caused me quite a lot of pain, let me tell you. Man, the healer that they had in the hold that the guards took me to was rather useless, so the remnants of your attack are still pretty visible. Soyeon, don’t you think that I should return that favour in kind?” 

 

Jisung’s gaze quickly strayed to the young woman standing behind his brother, her cold gaze focused in him, obviously not impressed with his past actions that she apparently knew too much about when she nodded her head. “Yes, Gyujin-nim.” 

 

The Thief had the strangest feeling that he had seen this girl before and it took a little while before he realised that she had been in the bar when he had been poisoned the night before. This had been the woman who had spiked his drink if what Woojin had told him about the events of last night had turned out to be true. 

 

“Pretty little thing, isn’t she? And completely and utterly loyal, which is more than I can say for how you acted when you were with me, Ji.” Gyujin booped his nose and grinned a sickeningly sweet grin before turning back to Soyeon and giving her a little peck on the cheek. “She’s the one who brought you to me. Since I can’t really show my face in public anymore because of what happened, I needed someone to do the dirty work for me. How fortuitous was I to come across a Leaper? She can use portals to move through space, which is how she managed to move you away from your friends so quickly. Handy little trick. Shame that they were too focused on fighting to notice that you had gone missing. How can they even call themselves your friends?” 

 

“They’re not my friends, they’re my family. Also, can you stop with this fucking happy-go-lucky tone you have going on? It’s highly irritating and I don’t really want my last moments alive to be filled with your annoying voice.” Jisung was tired and pissed and if he really was going to die soon, he wasn’t going to give Gyujin the satisfaction of seeing him scared and begging for his life. He was done with that. He had gained courage from his true brothers about the situation and he was going to make this as painful as possible for Gyujin. He stared at him, hoping to convey that there was nothing that he was capable of that would make him break. 

 

“Oh my, oh my. My baby brother has finally found a backbone? Or is it just that you’ve thrown away your life already? Lost the will to care? I think I might know the cause of that. Apparently, you were missing one of your team in the arena today. The Tracker that’s been looking for me all this time? His name is Minho, right?” Jisung’s confident facade slowly started to diminish at the mention of the fact that Gyujin had known all about Minho and who he was. It didn’t sound like he had just found out about him either but rather, that he was aware that Minho had been after him this whole time. 

 

“I saw the way you acted around each other in Morthan. I allowed myself to visit one night and just happened to see the two of you in the middle of the street, arms wrapped around each other. I must admit, I did let my aura slip through just a bit too much and your little friend seemed to have picked up on it since he quickly started looking around him but I managed to hide it before he could find me. Such a precious relationship, so why wasn’t he with you today? Maybe he could have protected you better than your other friends did.” 

 

Jisung didn’t know if Gyujin actually knew the reason that Minho was no longer with them. Either way, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to let his mind slip up to let his brother know that this was bothering him. “Are you going to kill me or what? If not, I have much better things to be doing than sitting around here talking to you about my relationships.” 

 

“Oh, my dear boy. I’m not going to kill you, not yet. After all this time, after all the waiting, do you think that I would squander all the possible fun within the first couple of minutes? Did you think it took me all this time to finally find you? I’ve been aware of your whereabouts a couple of times. Didn’t you think about the fact that the tournament was being broadcasted all around the world? When I saw you on the screen, I thought that this might be the favourable moment that I was waiting for. I wanted to do it a little sooner than now but ever since that Tracker joined your group, he always seemed to know when I was around, pulling you in to his side or keeping a closer eye on you everytime myself or Soyeon showed up. Seemed to have a real interest in protecting you. Freaking annoying and to be completely honest, I may have gotten a little fed up of waiting. I thought that Tracker would never leave your side and told Soyeon to just get rid of you however she wanted. Poison is a rather painful way to go or so I hear. It really is a relief that you didn’t die though because now I can have my fun! Ah, the chaos in the arena today and the fact that the Tracker was no longer around really presented the perfect opportunity, even though I had nothing to do with that madness. Seems those judges had this planned out all along, huh? Such sneaky bastards, eh?” 

 

Gyujin’s fingers danced on top of the boy’s knees as he smiled that wicked smile that Jisung remembered all too well. The Thief’s mind swam with far too many thoughts. Gyujin had been deterred from attacking him earlier because of Minho, because he thought he had been protecting him. 

 

‘ _ All I want to do is stay by your side and keep protecting you.’  _ That’s what Minho had said and Jisung had been so sure that it wasn’t true since he had already lied to him about who he was. 

 

“I’m going to let Soyeon have a little bit of fun with you first. She’s been pretty cooped up lately and hasn’t had a chance to let loose in so long. She has a bit of a weird fascination with blood, which is why she gets on so well with me, I guess.” Gyujin smiled towards the blonde girl, stroking his thumb across her cheek as she kept her stare fixed upon Jisung, making him squirm slightly in his seat. 

 

“I’ll come back a little later and see if she’s done sufficient work. Right now, I have a little bit of work to do myself. I’m trying to figure out what would be the most painful way to hurt your friends, just for a little bit of payback. Harming you may not make that much of a difference to you but what about your friends? Think you could help me out with this, Ji? Jeongin, for instance. I mean, he’s just a little baby to you guys, right? I shouldn’t put him through too much.” Jisung’s eyes moved away from Soyeon when he heard the names of his members slowly leaving Gyujin’s lips. 

 

“Now, Woojin and Chan are a bit mentally stronger, so would it be awful if I made them watch as I tortured the other members? That would probably be too cruel even for me, right? Felix and Seungmin seem to have their own fears which I could probably use to make them suffer just that little bit more. Hyunjin and Changbin are a bit more difficult but that’s what I’m going to go and try and to figure out. So much to do and so little time.” 

 

“You touch anyone in my group and I will fucking end you. Do you hear me, Gyujin?! I will end you!” Jisung struggled harshly against the ropes around his chest and wrists but whoever had tied them had done a pretty thorough job as he felt his skin burn beneath because of the friction. It hadn’t been the reaction that Gyujin had been anticipating, expecting Jisung to blubber and cry to save his members but it had been a reaction nonetheless to show the Blood Mage just how much the other boys truly meant to the Thief.  

 

“Huh, you’re definitely not the same kid that ran away from me six months ago. I wonder what or who changed that. Soyeon, I’ll be back later. Have your fun.” Gyujin closed the door behind him, clicking it just in time to hear the first of Jisung’s many screams. Tapping his chin, he walked down the bitter hallway with thoughts on how to truly break Jisung through his members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins....


	26. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we're finally getting into a big conflict that's been a long time coming. Slight warning for torture. Hope you guys like it!

It would have been a lot easier to find to Minho if they had known everything about him but once Changbin had set off to locate him, he began to realise that he had no idea where to look since he hadn’t really found out all that much about Minho in the time that they had spent together. He knew that the older boy was ambidextrous, that he loved to listen to music when he was thinking things through, that when he saw a cat, he practically jumped at the chance to pet it but when it came to something that could actually assist him in finding the Tracker, Changbin came to the conclusion that he was completely clueless.

 

He had run the length of the area he had been sent to search, ducking in and out of establishments in case Minho had visited them but had no such luck and he was beginning to lose hope that they would find him in time. For all he knew, he mightn’t even still be in the city. He could have already left but he was putting every little ounce of faith he had in any deity out there that he was still in Morthan. Changbin had asked Jeongin why he couldn’t have just sent a wisp to locate the older boy but the Necromancer reasoned that between the time to took to send out the wisp and wait for a message to return, it would have taken far too long. Plus, as much as they wanted to believe that Minho wasn’t the bad guy, they still weren’t sure that he would agree to help locate Jisung. They eventually all surmised that it would be better to find him in person if they could.

 

The Medic was about to take off in another direction to search before a little blue flame popped up in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

 

_“Everyone, I’ve found Minho hyung. He said that he’ll help us. Hurry back to the inn as fast as you can and we can talk.”_

 

Changbin internally thanked Yugyeom for teaching Jeongin the ability to convey messages through his wisps as a sense of slight relief flooded through his system at the thought of finally being able to track Jisung down. Minho was the only one who could help them that they could in any way trust. Though many of them may not trust him as much as they once did because of his hidden agenda, Changbin knew that his inclination about Minho’s feelings were obviously true since he had told Jeongin that he would help them locate Jisung. Had it all been an act, Minho probably wouldn’t have stuck around or agreed to help them find the younger boy in the first place, so Changbin was going to throw all hesitation aside and decided to trust him again, even if the others couldn’t. With that thought, the Medic took off at lightning speed towards the inn where he needed to meet the others.

 

* * *

 

The indentations on Minho’s fingers that he had gained from sinking his teeth into them from worry were starting to seep blood, not that it seemed to bother the Tracker. Uncontrollable bobbing legs tried to calm themselves but to no avail. Sitting in the bedroom while waiting for the other members to return caused Minho’s stomach to swirl. It wasn’t just the fact that Gyujin probably had the person he cared about most and that he could be putting him through so much pain but also that he was going to have to wait for the reactions of all the members that were about to come back to them. Since they had returned to the room, Jeongin had placed himself across from him, swinging his legs off the bed in an obviously worried state. Nothing had been said between the two since they had gotten back and Minho was sure that Jeongin’s reaction would be on the tamer end of the scale.

 

The door swung open to reveal Seungmin and Felix, obviously having met on the way back to the inn. Minho had to look twice to see if it was really Felix behind the Illusionist since his hair colour had most definitely changed since he was here the night before. They glanced at the Tracker before lowering their eyes to the ground, not knowing how to greet their hyung who had apparently been using them and immediately made their way over to Jeongin.

 

“Innie, good job. You got a message to everyone else?”

 

“Yeah, hyung. It took a little bit more energy than I thought but I managed to send out six wisps all at once to get to you guys. I’m pretty sure they managed to reach everyone,” Jeongin sighed with a tired smile.

 

Minho couldn’t help but feel a little proud of the young Necromancer after seeing the way he struggled with his powers in the beginning. Watching Felix ruffle the youngest boy’s hair, Minho wanted to run over and do the same while congratulating him but he remained seated, pushing back the feelings that he was sure none of them wanted from him anymore. His thoughts were once again interrupted as Hyunjin barrelled through the door, eyeing the others before looking to Minho.

 

“Hyung.” The Alchemist simply nodded towards the older boy with the word, feeling a little self conscious about the circumstances that all of them had been placed in.

 

It didn’t take much longer for Chan and Woojin to enter, their shaky forms and laboured breaths revealing to Minho how fast they had run to get back. It was very obvious to Minho that Chan had been crying, his eyes puffy and tinted red, regardless of how well he tried to hide it. The Knight had always been more vocal about his feelings compared to nearly everyone else in the group, perhaps bar Hyunjin and his drained features showed how utterly petrified he was for Jisung’s safety. The older boys remained silent as they hovered in the doorway before Minho stood from his seated position on the bed to greet them with a slight bow. Changbin just managed to round the doorframe before he saw Woojin advance towards Minho and punch him square in the jaw, causing the Tracker to lose his footing and come crashing to the ground.

 

“Woojin!” Chan raised his hand to halt the oldest boy’s movements but upon seeing the rage on his face dissipate as he threw the punch, he relaxed a little. It didn’t matter to Changbin as he rushed forward to hold onto the Bard but it looked like he was done with what he had set out to do.  

 

“Ah, shit, that hurt.” Woojin shook his hand, trying to alleviate some of the pain from the impact with Minho’s face. “I just needed to get that out of my system. C’mon, Minho, up you get.” Woojin extended his hand toward the boy splayed on the floor, clutching his chin after the unexpected hit. Minho looked a little hesitant to grab it but eventually did so, slowly being hauled up from the hard, wooden floor.

 

“We can talk about this whole mess afterwards. Right now, we need to find Jisungie and make sure that he’s alright. I don’t really know anything about Trackers but surely you have some sort of skill that you can use to find him. That’s the whole point of your class, right?”

 

Minho felt unbelievably heavy expectations fall upon his shoulders as the seven boys that he had called his family stared on with hope in their eyes.

 

“I-I can try. Once I’m familiar enough with someone’s aura and they’re not trying to hide it from me, I can usually pick up on the general direction that they’re in and once I get closer to them, their aura becomes brighter and I can locate them. It’s difficult to focus in on one person’s aura amongst the thousands upon thousands around me but if it’s Jisung’s, I think I can do it.”

 

Nobody said anything as Minho explained the abilities of his class that they were all so unfamiliar with and the Tracker just wished that everything could revert back to the way it was a couple of days ago; none of them looking at him like he had some ulterior motive or that he was going to betray them.

 

“Hyung, what do you mean if they’re hiding it from you?” Minho glanced at Changbin who had broken the uncomfortable silence with his question and was thankful that at least one of his former members was still speaking to him in a regular fashion.

 

“If someone is strong enough, they can learn to control their aura so that it’s near impossible for Trackers to pick up on but it is an exceptionally rare skill. Auras are also weaker if someone is asleep or unconscious and it extinguishes completely if someone is dea-” Minho knew he couldn’t afford to start hyperventilating in a situation like this. He needed to keep a clear head if he was going to find the Thief but the thoughts of the overexcitable sunshine that was Jisung not being around anymore made his chest contract in an unbelievably uncomfortable way, enough to make him want to throw up.

 

“Look, we can’t think about something like that. Minho, can you do it right now? Can you get an idea of what direction he’s in, how far away he is?” Chan had taken control of his emotions again upon hearing that Minho could assist them, upon seeing the fear of losing Jisung in his eyes.

 

Minho nodded his head, shaking away the momentary despair that clawed at his heart. “Ok, this might take a couple of minutes. I need to try and focus in on Jisung’s aura alone.” Minho calmed his breathing, closing his eyes so that he felt the shift he was so used to feeling within his body.

 

Jeongin kept his eyes focused on his hyung while he worked. He wanted to find Jisung as quickly as possible but he knew that it would take time and he didn’t want to rush Minho in his state of concentration. It would just take even longer if he did that. Noticing that Minho had closed his eyes momentarily, his own eyes widened when Minho’s opened and revealed beautiful, golden hued irises beneath his lids that darted from side to side, looking for their missing member.

 

If Minho was being honest with himself, he knew Jisung’s aura better than anyone else’s in the whole world. The few nights that they had shared a room, he would activate his Third Eye simply to marvel in Jisung’s aura as he slept. The soft, cherry red that it emanated while he tossed and turned in bed always made Minho feel a sense of comfortable warmth within his chest. Granted, when he was awake, Jisung’s aura gave off such an energy that sometimes it would make the Tracker feel drunk and dizzy but not in an unwelcome way. It radiated a playful vibe, one that would revitalise Minho if he ever needed it. When he slept, however, his energy was enough to lull Minho to sleep and fight through the insomnia that sometimes plagued him. Though Gyujin’s aura also held the same kind of energy as Jisung’s, it held a slightly different shade of red, edging more towards a harsh maroon and Minho did wonder how he ever managed to confuse the two when he first located Jisung thinking that he was his brother. They were nothing alike; Jisung had a feeling all his own.

 

Minutes passed as Minho poured as much energy as he could into finding the Thief while his eyes darted around the world, trying the area around Morthan first and slowly spreading outwards. He was beginning to worry that he would be too far away for them to reach him in time but then...there. There it was. It wasn’t as strong as it usually was, indicating to Minho that he may not be conscious anymore and that made his fingers curl in on themselves but Jisung’s aura was still visible to him, meaning that he was alive. Since he was already focused in on his location, Minho thought that he would confirm their theory as he searched for Gyujin’s aura too. Unfortunately, that was there too. Minho had been expecting it to be in the same area but it didn’t stop his heart from tightening upon confirming it.

 

Deactivating his Third Eye, Minho came back to all of the boys staring at him, an uneasy glint in their eyes. He had been so immersed in searching for Jisung that he wasn’t quite sure how long he’d been gone but the way that his legs gave out when he returned made him think it was more than a few seconds since it had sapped so much of his energy. He felt himself being held up by two reassuring arms, seeing Woojin and Chan on either side of him, obviously waiting to help him if he needed it.

 

“I found him. I know where he is.”

* * *

 

The freezing water felt like someone had left a rather harsh slap fall across his cheek as it was thrown into his face. Drenching the front of his clothes, Jisung awoke from his momentary drowse and inhaled sharply to fight away the feeling that he was drowning. He wondered how many times he was after falling unconscious already, losing count after the third time. Head falling to the back of the chair to rest its weight, Jisung exhaled through his nose as his eyelids began to flutter shut again.

 

“Stop passing out. It’s not worth it if you don’t feel anything.”

 

He didn’t know how long he had been stuck in the compact room with the blonde woman in front of him but in whatever amount of time that had passed, he had come to the conclusion that she was exceedingly like his brother in a few ways, the most prominent being her apparent joy in torturing him. Not meeting her eyes, Jisung let his head fall to the side, peeking at the surgical tray beside him that held a vast number of small instruments that Soyeon had been using to make his stay here a little bit more unbearable. A scalpel to the end of the tray dripped blood onto the floor, Soyeon having used it across Jisung’s forearm and thigh earlier on. That was nothing, he had endured worse. Even the numerous slaps and punches to the face he had constantly been receiving did nothing to affect him. No, the reason he had kept passing out was the shocks that he kept experiencing. The clamps placed on the metal chair he had been sitting upon surged to life every so often on Soyeon’s command, sending shockwaves throughout his body, his chest constricting too much for him to let out a scream. Jisung always complimented himself on his high pain threshold but man did that hurt like a bitch.

 

“So, are you ready for another round?”

 

Still set on making himself troublesome as possible, Jisung sighed while giving an unimpressed look to the irritated woman in front of him. He tried to think of his friends to get him through the agony that was going to afflict him momentarily. He thought about Chan’s goofy smile, about Woojin’s soft cuddles, about Changbin’s playful tormenting, about Hyunjin’s infectious laughter, about Felix’s welcoming arms, about Seungmin’s calming essence, about Jeongin’s gracious spirit. But most of all, he inadvertently thought about Minho’s arms wrapped around him, about his warm breath tickling his skin, about his vivid, hazel eyes crinkling shut as he laughed like the Thief was the funniest person in the world. Jisung thought about how much he still loved the boy despite everything that had happened, chuckling in disbelief at his own mind as he raised his head to stare at Soyeon straight on.

 

“Ready when you are, babe.”

 

Sparks flew and lit up the darkened area as the Thief opened his mouth to let out a silent scream once again.

 

* * *

 

Woojin had followed the other boys into their rooms to make sure that they were all sufficiently prepared before they left to try and help Jisung and save him from the claws of his brother. They wanted to leave quickly but they knew there was a reason that Gyujin had managed to survive this long and they wanted to make sure that they were as ready as they could be should they come up against the man. That left Chan to equip himself with his weapon while Minho sat on the bed, lost inside his own mind. Even though Chan had moved to stop Woojin after he had punched him, Minho was sure that the Knight had wanted to deck him too, though he managed to hold back on his anger. The older boy was always so chatty, trying to strike up conversations with Minho, even in the beginning when it was pretty obvious that the Tracker had no interest in making small talk. It was this fact that made the silence between them even more stifling. This was what made Minho think that Chan no longer saw him as one of his friends, as one of his family, as one of his boys and it broke his heart to be reduced to nothing more than something that was needed for a job. That hit him hard, thinking that this must be how all of them felt when they heard that Minho had been using them for the sake of a bounty. Now he could see why none of them would be able to trust him again.

 

“Your thoughts are really loud. I can hear them all the way from over here.”

 

Minho raised his eyes to stare at Chan’s shoulders as he rummaged around in his backpack to make sure everything was ready to go, jangling the few healing potions that they had left.

 

“Oh, sorry, I’ll try to keep it down.” The Tracker lowered his eyes once again to stare at his clasped hands, his twitching fingers dancing as he waited for all of them to complete their preparations.

 

Glancing at Minho from the corner of his eye, Chan left out a rather heavy sigh whilst looking at the expression on the younger’s face. During his conversation with Woojin, he had said that he believed Minho when he said that his current objective was not still the same as when he had joined them and the pure, agonising worry on the Tracker’s face only confirmed that fact but Woojin’s words still rang in his ears. _“I don’t know if any of that matters now. He lied to us.”_

 

Briefly locking eyes with Minho as the younger finally looked up, Chan quickly turned his head away to resume working, earning him an small but audible whimper from the boy sitting on the bed. It shouldn’t have but that hushed sound made him wince, his heart screaming at him to rise and give Minho a reassuring hug, an embrace that told him that they would find Jisung and that everything would be alright. However, his protective instincts over the Thief pushed those feelings aside and until they were dealt with, he couldn’t comfort Minho in his time of need.

 

“Do you realise how much you hurt him?”

 

Minho closed his eyes to let the guilt wash over him once again. It had momentarily left him since he had been so set on finding Jisung but now, in the silence after Chan’s question, it suddenly bombarded him like an unwelcome visitor.

 

“Yes.”

 

It had been so quiet, so full of regret and sadness, that Chan was unsure whether he had actually heard Minho say it or if he had just imagined the word inside of his head. Upon seeing the younger boy’s head fall into his hands, he was sure that it hadn’t been an illusion.

 

“Then why, Minho?”

 

“Because to someone like me, you were so easy to try and take advantage of in the beginning. You were all so trusting, so kind and had no trouble in believing that a despicable person like me was only helping you for the sake of it. So, I thought, why not? Gyujin had a high bounty and I needed money. Did I care about using some random strangers to help me get what I wanted? Not really. People always leave you down in one way or another so I learned to do it first. A habit from my childhood.”

 

Chan pondered on why, out of all the things that Minho was saying, it bothered him the most when he called himself ‘despicable’.

 

“I was going to stick around until Gyujin showed up and planned to use the opportunity to take him down for his bounty and leave you all behind. You weren’t supposed to mean anything to me, none of you were but that’s not how it turned out in the end. Do you remember when I went with Jisung to scout Siwan’s house? Before I left, you gave me a hug, saying that you hoped I came back safe too. When we returned, Woojin hyung gave me one and afterwards, he told me he was thankful that I had been sent to watch over your group, to watch over Jisung. All of the younger boys made me feel accepted simply by being by my side. You treated me like one of your own even though I was a total outsider, you welcomed me with open arms even though you knew nothing about me. I’ve never had something like that before in my entire life and I most certainly didn’t deserve it from people as wonderful as you but I liked the feeling of being accepted just for being me. I fell in too deep and I didn’t know how to get out. Telling you all about this, I just couldn’t figure out a way to do it. Heh, that’s what I told myself anyways. Mostly, I was being a coward, I was afraid of how you would react after all of you discovered who I was, what my class allowed me to do, what I had done in the past. I didn’t want you to look at me...like you’re looking at me right now.”

 

Chan wondered what kind of face he had been making towards the Tracker but whatever his expression had conveyed, it had caused Minho to curl in on himself, hiding his emotionally torn face from the older boy.

 

“I decided that I wasn’t interested in going after Gyujin anymore and that I just wanted to travel with you guys instead. Since I was aware that he was after Jisung and I was sure that none of the rest of you were, I thought that I could keep him safe but look where we are now. Channie hyung-” Minho stopped himself. Could he really still call Chan his hyung after what he had done? He shouldn’t allow himself to become comfortable again if he was just going to be asked to leave once they had found Jisung.

 

“Chan-ssi, I’m sorry for everything that I’ve done and you will seriously never understand how awful I feel about hiding who I was from all of you. I know those are probably just empty words to you at this stage but I feel the need to say them regardless. Honestly though, you’ve experienced the real me since we left Aquiria. Not that it makes a difference now, I know. Jisung was right when he asked me to leave. I just want to find him and make sure that he’s safe. Please, god, just let him be safe.”

 

Minho’s head found its way back into his hands as his breath rocked in his chest and Chan saw the pent up tears finally break through. The older boy didn’t have any more willpower to hold back as he saw one of the people he cared about most in the world break into nothing but quiet sobs. Moving towards the bed, the mattress dipped as Chan took his rightful place beside Minho and cradled the boy in his arms, the younger freezing up as he felt the calming warmth enveloping him.

 

“You can call me hyung if you want. Chan-ssi makes conversations seem too formal.”

 

The younger boy couldn’t help but let out a strangled laugh as Chan mimicked the line that Minho had used on Felix upon first meeting him, to try and gain his trust. Chan didn’t hate him, he didn’t want Minho to stay as far away as possible, he didn’t simply see him as a tool required for a job. Chan cared. He cared and that caused Minho to cry even harder than he already was.

 

“Channie hyung, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

 

He knew that he didn’t deserve to be forgiven like this, that he didn’t deserve to be happy, that he didn’t deserve a friend like Chan but it didn’t seem like the Knight was going to let him go any time soon. Wrapping his arms around the older boy’s shoulders, Minho hid his face in the crook of Chan’s neck, a silent form of thanks for giving him a second chance.

 

“Minho?”

 

The Tracker turned his head just a little to listen to what Chan was calling him for, cursing himself internally for messing up the elder’s hoodie with his tears.

 

“You said that we’ve known the true you since we left Aquiria so, what we’ve seen of you with Jisung, that was all real?”

 

Minho didn’t quite know how to accurately convey what he felt towards Jisung since all of it had come crashing down after he had inadvertently told the Thief who he really was. With a simple nod of his head, he let Chan know that what he felt towards the younger boy was never really fake.

 

“You love him, don’t you?”

 

“More than anything in this world or the real one.”

 

“Ok, that’s all I need to know.” As Chan tenderly ran this fingers through Minho’s hair trying to soften his cries, Woojin returned to finish preparing himself for the operation. Minho hadn’t heard him come in, keeping his face buried in Chan’s chest as he tried to even out his shaky breathing but Chan noticed the Bard return, shooting him a loving smile as he continued to comfort the boy in his arms. Woojin took this to mean that what they had suspected had been true, that Minho’s feelings towards all of them, not just Jisung, had been real. He knew that Chan wouldn’t give in to Minho so easily after what he had done to Jisung so, whatever had happened in the time that he had been gone, had obviously been enough for Chan to at least accept that he was sorry for what he had done.

 

“Everybody ready to go, Woojinnie?”

 

Realising Chan wasn’t talking to him anymore, Minho immediately straightened himself, brushing the remaining tears away from his eyes, keeping them firmly set on the ground in front of him and away from Woojin.

 

“Yeah, Channie. Ready when you are. I know this is a big deal and we want to go in with as much firepower as we can but...Changbin wonders if we should ask Jaebum hyung and the others for help but I don’t know if we should put them in danger like that, not after everything they’ve already done for us.”

 

“You’re right. Maybe after we’ve already left Jeongin can send a wisp back to let them know what has happened. We should make sure that we give ourselves enough time to get ahead so that they can’t follow. I don’t want them getting hurt because they involved themselves in our business. This is our problem, we will save Jisung by ourselves.”

 

Minho stayed silent during the conversation, only looking up when he felt a soft grasp on his chin, making him wince slightly as the pain caused by Woojin’s fist flared up. “Ah, looks like I went a little overboard, there’s a bruise beginning to form already. We’ll get Changbin to take a look after we leave. Sorry, Minho, it probably hurts, huh?”

 

Woojin brushed his thumb gently underneath the Tracker’s jaw, conveying how badly he actually felt for taking his frustration out on the younger boy.

 

“You didn’t go overboard, hyung and don’t be sorry. I deserved it, so don’t worry about it. Uh…”

 

Upon hearing Minho’s hesitant murmurs, Woojin and Chan moved away from the boy to look at him head on. “I know you don’t want to involve people in this if it’s not needed but I think I can get someone on board who might be of use.”

 

* * *

 

Minho knew that it was hard for Yukhei to sit still for too long, so when he walked back into the bar he had been in earlier with the Assassin, he didn’t actually expect him to be there. He could have used his Third Eye to locate him again but after expending so much of his energy to find Jisung, it would have probably done irreversible damage to his body had he done it again so soon. Luckily for him, Yukhei had actually managed to do the impossible and remained seated for the amount of time that he had been gone.

 

“Minho, you’re back. Everything alright?” Minho exhaled slightly upon hearing the genuine concern in the younger boy’s voice.

 

“Not really. Jisung- uh, Gyujin’s brother has gone missing and we’re pretty sure that Gyujin has him. I’ve found his aura. It’s about ten miles outside of town to the southeast and we’re going to go and rescue him. It’s a long story as to why he has him but I know that if we don’t go now, then he’s not going to come back alive. You know how twisted this bastard is and I don’t want to see Jisung get hurt.”

 

Yukhei nodded as he sipped his drink, interested as to why Minho was here explaining his situation to him rather than simply going to deal with it.

 

“We were thinking that we could use a bit more assistance in case something goes wrong and I was wondering if you could come along with us? Not that I want to make your ego bigger than it already is but you’re the best I’ve ever seen in your class. I-I don’t have the money to hire you but I was thinking that if we manage to beat Gyujin, then you could take his bounty.”

 

Yukhei laid his glass back down on the table, leaning back a little to fully take in the boy standing in front of him. “You’re going to let me take Gyujin’s bounty? This is what you’ve been going after for like the last five months. Why would you hand it over so easily?”

 

“I’m not interested in it anymore. I just want to get Jisung home safely and I think you may be able to help with that. I know that you usually only do jobs if you’re paid up front but-”

  
  
“Minho, it’s alright. I’ll help you. If I get Gyujin’s bounty, then I get it. If he manages to escape again, then that’s ok too.”

  
  
The Tracker had prepared a list of arguments for the Assassin to try and convince him to come with him and his group but it looked like he didn’t need it since Yukhei agreed to tag along without putting up to much of a fight, much to Minho’s surprise.

 

“You’ll help? Why? What’s with the sudden change of heart?”

 

“Because I can tell simply by how you’re talking about him how much this guy means to you. When you told me about him before, you were so indifferent, not caring if you hurt him. Now, you’re like a totally different person and maybe it’s not in a particularly bad way either. It’s nice to see that you’re not still an unemotional robot. You’re allowed to feel happiness, Minho, no matter how much you think you’re undeserving of it.”

 

In all the time that Minho had known the Assassin, he had never managed to have a full on serious conversation with him but the Tracker could tell that Yukhei wasn’t in a joking sort of mood due to the lack of humor in his usually bright tone.

 

“In fairness, you’ve only ever asked me for help once before and that was to make sure the kids you’re travelling with were safe from Siwan coming after them again. You obviously care about them and maybe I can relate to that a little bit now.” Minho raised his eyebrows, not exactly sure what the Assassin was talking about since he was always such a solitary person despite his outgoing personality.

 

“I may have started travelling with a few other people. Another Assassin and Bounty Hunter. Damn annoying bastards that have made me change my whole moral outlook. Apparently, Kun hyung thinks I need to stop focusing on people that haven’t done anything wrong or so he tells me. That’s not important right now, he’s off doing a job with Jungwoo hyung and they won’t be back for about a week, so I can help you since I’m just sitting around here on my ass all day anyways. Locating Gyujin was the whole reason I came to Morthan in the first place.” It seemed like Yukhei was slightly embarrassed, possibly for giving Minho a hard time for agreeing to travel with the group of boys in the first place but eventually giving into the need for companionship himself.

 

“Plus, I think I owe you more than a few favours for all the times you managed to save my ass. I kind of played you a little bit when I asked you to pay me to take care of Siwan for you too. I collected his bounty so I got paid more than my fair share, so just think of this as a freebie. As much shit as we give each other, I like to think of you as a friend, even if you don’t think of me as one. Very few people in this world tolerate me. I know I’m an irritating asshole most of the time, so thanks for managing to put up with me. You wanna find Gyujin’s brother? Alrighty then, let’s go.”

 

Yukhei downed his drink and began to gather his effects. Minho stood there, dumbfounded. He had to admit to himself that he did find Yukhei irritating at the best of times, mostly because he was so happy go lucky, regardless of the circumstances. It was like he never knew how to be serious, especially in situations that required it but that seemed to have changed as Yukhei readied himself without hesitation to help Minho when he needed him. The Assassin gave a small, reassuring wink as they headed out the door together.

 

“Thanks, Yukhei.”

 

“Damn, you really have gone soft on me. Tell me if I’m wrong but I think it was one specific person within your little group that’s made you change so much. You’ve gotten a little too attached to his brother, haven’t you?”

 

“Shut up, Yukhei. We’re having a moment, don’t ruin it.”

 

“That’s what I’m good at though, you should know that at this stage. Alright, alright, I’ll keep my mouth shut. How are you going to introduce me to your little friends though? You probably don’t want me to reveal who I am, right?” Walking out the door, Yukhei eyed the group of boys in front of him, most swaying from side to side, obviously uncomfortable in having to wait so long to get going to save their missing member.

 

“I told them already that you were a friend who could help us in finding Jisung and that’s all that they really needed to hear to agree for you to come along with us.”

 

“Hold the fuck up. You actually introduced me as your friend? I never knew that you loved me so, Minho, that I made such an impact on your life.”

 

“Christ, never mind. Stay here and wait for your friends to come back. You’re not needed.”

 

Placing his arms around Minho’s shoulders as he walked behind him, Yukhei spilled apologies and laughter, thankful that Minho was finally warming up to him a little bit after all the time that they had known each other. Reaching the end of the steps and the other boys, Yukhei cheerily waved with a bright smile but recoiled a little when he realised that this probably wasn’t the time to be bright and bubbly considering the situation they were about to head into.

 

“Hi there, I’m Yukhei. Nice to meet you all. You want to go and find your friend now?” The Assassin didn’t even give the others time to answer before he was already walking in the direction that Minho had mentioned earlier, all of them following soon after.

 

“Minho, do you really trust this guy? You sure he can help us?” Tugging on Minho’s sleeve, Chan pulled him back out of earshot of the Assassin. He had only met the other boy and he didn’t really want to offend him by doubting his loyalties as soon as he joined the group.

 

“I trust him, hyung. He’s helped me out in the past.” Upon hearing Minho’s assurances, Chan nodded, keeping a firm grasp on the Tracker’s sleeve as they walked at a rather brisk pace, wanting to get to Jisung as fast as possible.

 

* * *

 

It was beginning to get dark as Jisung opened his eyes; the one tiny window near the ceiling of the room leaving in mere specks of light as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. He had obviously passed out again but this time, nothing had woken him back up except for his own inherent need to move. Looking around, he noticed that he was no longer accompanied by Soyeon in the room, being left to his own devices for some unknown reason. He weakly pulled at the ropes but knew in the state that he was in that he would be going nowhere. Jisung had used his abilities to such an extent a few times that it had sucked all of his energy out of him and even though he hadn’t fought back in any way, not a single ounce of strength remained in his body. Deaf to his screams, Soyeon had continually tortured him for what felt like hours but based on what little of the sky he could see through the minuscule window, not that much time had actually passed.

 

Bruises and cuts littered his body, with the invisible scars of electrocution hidden beneath his skin. It was still difficult to breathe even though there was nothing stopping him from doing so. His head lolled, his body yelling at him for him to rest a while longer but he couldn’t allow himself to fall back asleep again. Even though he hadn’t begged Gyujin for his life, he didn’t particularly enjoy the idea of dying in this filthy place either. He assumed that his weapons had been taken away from him and once he wriggled his waist to see if he heard the familiar jangle of them against his belt, he sighed when it remained silent in the room. However, Soyeon must have thought that he would be staying unconscious for some time since she had left the tools she had been using to harm him on the tray to his left. Eyeing the scalpel, Jisung tried very discreetly to move his chair ever so slightly to reach out and grab the instrument that may aid him in some way.

 

“Ow, fuck, just a little bit further…” The Thief wasn’t sure if his arm or wrist was broken but the pain from trying to reach what he was searching for hit him like a ton of bricks. Mere centimeters away, Jisung tried to move his hand just that little bit further to grab onto the scalpel when he heard footsteps emanating just outside his door. He scooted his chair back into the original position, hanging his head and pretending that he was still in an unconscious state to try and escape any more pain that those outside of his prison may produce.

 

“Ji, I have some very exciting news! A few of my little birdies told me that we’re going to have some visitors. Apparently- hey, Ji, look at me- apparently, your friends are coming here for you! Isn’t that incredible? You guys really do have an amazing bond, don’t you?”

 

They were coming for him? No. They needed to stay away from this place and Gyujin. He only knew about Soyeon and Gyujin himself but he had said ‘his little birdies’ had told him about his friends coming for him. In reality, he had no idea about how many followers Gyujin had actually managed to gather in the time that they had been apart. Jisung didn’t want his family to be harmed because of him. He wasn’t worth all of their lives.

 

“This makes my job a hell of a lot easier. I don’t have to go looking for them, they’re coming for me. Another is tagging along with them too, some Assassin but I’ve managed to outrun him before too. Oh, you may be happy to know that your little crush is coming along as well. Didn’t think he’d come back to you. Minho continues to surprise me.”

  
  
Minho was coming for him too? Jisung was confused at that. How did he know where he was? Did the others go to him for help? That wouldn’t really surprise him; knowing them, they would probably do anything to get him back, even go to someone who had been lying to them the entire time. But why would Minho come along with them in the first place? Jisung was certain the Tracker didn’t care about him. He was probably coming along with the intention of getting Gyujin’s bounty, Jisung thought.

 

“You know what? Since I’m so kind, I’m not going to touch you until they come for you. I want you to be conscious enough to take in all of what I’m going to make them go through. You know what they say: an eye-” Gyujin pointed to the disfigured part of his face while smiling at Jisung. “-for an eye. You made me suffer and I’m going to do the same to you. I won’t touch you but Soyeon might have other ideas when she comes back. I only have so much control over that girl. When she has her mind set on something, she usually sees it through! See you later, Ji.”

 

Jisung unintentionally flinched a little as Gyujin slammed the door behind him, whistling some familiar tune as he walked down the hallway. They were coming for him, all of them and apparently one or two stragglers too. They were risking their lives for him and even though Jisung didn’t want them to be anywhere near this place, he couldn’t help but feel more than a little bit loved when he knew they were willing to do that for him. Trying his best not to pass out because of the pain, he smiled as he tilted his head up to the sky, discreetly hiding the stolen scalpel up his sleeve.


	27. Never take life for granted. Savor every sunrise, because no one is promised tomorrow…or even the rest of today

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is it. The showdown. Warnings for graphic violence, blood, torture and...character death. Make sure you prepare yourselves before going in. I have to admit, this was probably one of the hardest chapters to write. See you on the other side.

“So, Yukhei hyung, how do you know Minho hyung? I don’t mean this in a bad way but it seems to me that you have kind of conflicting personalities. He’s pretty quiet and reserved and you’re...”

 

“Not?” Yukhei huffed a little with a grin, trying not to make fun of Seungmin’s blushing cheeks since one of the boys had finally mustered up the courage to talk to him.  It was one hell of a long trip to where they were trying to go and his personality couldn’t allow him to be silent for much longer when there was this many people surrounding him. The gloomy sky overhead seemed to mirror the internalised feelings of those walking ahead of him, their fear for their friend’s safety making him feel uncomfortable in himself.

 

“Maybe. You seem a lot more boisterous compared to him and I just kind of wondered how you managed to get to know each other.” If Seungmin was being honest with himself, he just wanted to talk to someone, anyone about absolutely anything to take his mind off of what was happening around him. This little rescue mission reminded him far too much of what had happened with his friends when they had come to help Jeongin and himself to escape from Siwan’s home. They had been fortunate enough not to suffer any casualties back then but he couldn’t help but think that everyone’s luck runs out eventually.

 

“Well, I first met Minho about six months ago. I was on a job, taking down this corrupt business owner, treating his employees like dirt, refusing to pay them but threatening them with their friends lives if they tried to leave. Seemed easy enough, not too tough of a job. I had only been here a month and perhaps I was a little overconfident in my skills. Didn’t think to check if there were others in the shop and ended up facing about ten guys head on by myself. Something like that now would be a piece of cake but back then, I was just a rookie.” Grimacing at the thoughts of his own innocence and audaciousness, Yukhei let out a humourless laugh, noticing Jeongin coming to stroll beside Seungmin as he continued his story.

 

“Got my ass handed to me and let me tell you, they didn’t hold back in any way. Still got a little scar on my chin, see?” Both boys nodded after noticing the slightly lighter slit of healed skin on the elder’s face, their eyes conveying their feelings of sympathy since they knew all about the process of obtaining scars.

 

“Just in the nick of time, Minho came out of nowhere, like some awesome superhero! Told them to back off and they didn’t take too kindly in being told what to do. After helping me back up, he stayed with me to take them all down. Apparently, at the time, he had only been here for about a month as well but his skills were way ahead of mine. We finished them off easily and he actually stuck around afterwards to patch me up a bit; he gave me one of his only healing potions and everything. As much as he likes to pretend that he’s an asshole sometimes, he’s really a kind person. I do wonder why he hangs around with me at all but I suppose it’s probably because I kind of force him too!” Yukhei broke into laughter as Jeongin and Seungmin awkwardly stood there, not quite sure how to react to the giggling young man in front of them.

 

“It makes a lot more sense that he would hang around with the likes of you guys. You seem like pretty good natured people. I can see why he paid me so much to keep you guys safe.”

 

Not knowing what he meant by that, Seungmin and Jeongin quickly exchanged glances in case the other had any idea to what he was referring to. “To keep us safe? What do you mean?”

 

“You know, about me getting rid of Siwan.”

 

Yukhei could tell that he just might have slipped up when he noticed the other boys’ eyes blown wide as they halted in their tracks, trying to search the Assassin’s face for some sort of explanation before asking him outright. “Ah, you guys didn’t know about that? Well, shit…”

 

“Y-you were the one who killed Siwan? Why? What do you mean Minho hyung paid you to do that?” Jeongin had begun to walk again as he questioned Yukhei, not forgetting about where they were actually heading. They couldn’t afford to stop, they needed to keep going, to get to Jisung.

 

“You know what, if Minho didn’t tell you then….”

 

“Oh no, you’re going to tell us right now. We have a right to know.” Seungmin latched onto the older boy’s arm when he tried to not so subtly move towards Minho to escape from the younger boy’s questions.

 

“Christ, you’re just as stubborn as he is. No wonder you guys get along so well. Fine. The night before you two and your friends were rescued from Siwan’s house, Minho came to me and asked for my help. He said that he found out what Siwan was doing and that he and your little group were going to go and rescue you.” Yukhei raised his head from the conversation to check on Minho’s whereabouts. He was still at the head of the pack, leading them in the right direction with his abilities. The Assassin was sure that Minho would probably try to prevent him from telling the younger boys the reason for their freedom but seemed to be too preoccupied with where he was heading.

 

“Told me all about what he did to you guys, especially to you, Seungmin and I didn’t particularly like the thoughts of letting this guy go either. Minho said he didn’t care what I did or how I did it, he wanted to keep you kids safe by making sure Siwan could never come after you again. Being the asshat I was, I charged him a pretty high price and I’m sure he barely had enough money to cover it but he said it was worth it if you could live out the rest of your time here in peace. See? Not as much of a monster as you guys are making him out to be at the moment.”

 

Yukhei had gotten the general gist of what had happened in the time since he had last seen Minho, learning little bits and pieces that he had picked up from the conversations the others in the group were having. To be honest, he didn’t really even need to know the specifics of it; the awkward air around him made it more than obvious that something had gone awry in their relationship with Minho. It seemed that the two eldest boys had somewhat forgiven him for his actions but it felt like the younger boys were holding back a bit, their protectiveness over their missing members clouding their views on the Tracker.

 

Seungmin and Jeongin couldn’t seem to understand what was being said to them. Minho had been the one to infiltrate Siwan’s house with Jisung. He had been the one to check on Seungmin’s injuries that night to make sure that they weren’t life threatening. He had been the one to devise the plan to get them out of there without losing anyone. He had been the one to fight alongside the rest of the group to get them out of there and according to Yukhei, he had been the one to save them from torturing themselves with worry about the thoughts of Siwan coming to take them back. He was their hyung and he had done so much for them without even realising it.

 

“You guys alright? Look, I know since Minho asked me to do it privately, he probably didn’t want you two to know about it. Normal people like you would probably be against killing, right? Just don’t think too harshly of him, ok? He’s had a hell of a tough time, not just here but from what I have observed, in the real world too.”

 

Seungmin returned from his thoughts to look Yukhei in the eye. Woojin had warned all of them not to inquire about Minho’s past after he had spoken to the Tracker in Aquiria and the younger boy had said he felt uncomfortable about it and because of that, they knew absolutely nothing about that part of him. “You know about his life in the real world?”

 

“Not really but to have a class like a Tracker? You can bet that his life wasn’t easy. Think about it, Trackers can sense a person’s aura and the main point of that in Phantasm is to be able to identify enemies and their whereabouts. Why the hell would you need a skill like that in the real world? I don’t know much about him before he entered Phantasm. I’ve tried to ask him before and he told me to just drop the subject but whenever I did ask him, he looked like he was in pain simply thinking about it. In the end, I stopped asking him, I didn’t want him to stop talking to me because I pushed him too far on what were clearly unpleasant memories. Maybe he lied to you, maybe he wasn’t who he had originally said but I _know_ you realise that he’s a decent person. I don’t think he would have agreed to help you find your missing friend if he wasn’t, don’t you think?”

 

Yukhei was right. Of course he was. The whole point of Jisung asking Minho to leave was because he thought that the older boy had still been lying to him, that what he felt for him had never been real in the first place but they all knew that wasn’t the case. They had been reluctant to accept Minho back, thinking about the tears that Jisung had shed over him and his apparent betrayal but they couldn’t say that they didn’t miss him the moment he walked out the door. He looked out for them and according to Yukhei, he always had, even before he had officially joined their group.

 

Leaving the Assassin, Seungmin and Jeongin slowly quickened their pace to fall on both sides of Minho at the front of the group, garnering a confused look from the Tracker.

 

“Everything all right?”

 

“Yeah, hyung, we’re ok. We’re nearly there, huh?” Jeongin edged towards Minho, carefully linking his arm with the older boy’s. It had been an action so simple but it seemed to mean the world to Minho, the older boy tensing up at the contact before relaxing and returning the tight hold placed around him arm. It was obvious that Minho knew that the others were finding it hard to return to how they used to act around him but Jeongin thought that, even if it was only little by little, he could find it within himself to forgive his hyung since he knew how badly he felt about his actions.

 

“Another mile or two, almost there. We’ll find Jisung and get him out. Don’t worry, Innie.”

 

“You’re telling me not to worry but you’re not hiding your own feelings very well.” Jeongin could feel Minho’s arm quivering as he held onto it, his nervousness seeping through his hardened exterior.

 

“Sorry, I’m not doing it intentionally. I just keep thinking what if- what if we don’t make it in time? I always tried my best to keep an eye on him throughout the time that we’ve been together but keeping my secret from Jisung, from all of you, it was a mistake that could cost him his life and I don’t- I should have been there for him.”

 

“Hyung, nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. This just happened to be one of yours but you’re going to fix it with the rest of us.” Glancing backwards at Hyunjin, Minho couldn’t help but huff in disbelief.

 

“Isn’t that exactly what I said to you when you were depressed about not helping Seungmin out after his performance in Aquiria?”  

 

“Well, it stuck with me and I think that it’s fairly applicable to the situation. Look, you can’t change what you’ve done but you can try and make up for it, starting by helping us rescue Jisung. It may take time for all of us to get back to the way that we were but we will get there, don’t worry.”

 

Minho knew he didn’t deserve all of these boys, the ones with hearts so big and forgiving that they were willing to overlook how he had lied to them. He had told Chan earlier that them merely being by his side was enough to make him feel accepted and that still stood, even in a situation where he knew they shouldn’t welcome him back.

 

Jeongin’s grip never wavered throughout the remaining time that they hurriedly walked towards their destination and looking back, Minho could see the little grin forming on Yukhei’s face as he averted his gaze after being caught staring. The Assassin had known who he was from almost the beginning of his time within Phantasm, so to see a change within Minho as drastic as this made him rather happy.

 

As they moved further and further off of the beaten track, ruins of destroyed buildings blocked their straightforward walk to Jisung. Climbing over mounds of rocks and rubble, they all began to wonder what exactly had happened for their to be such carnage around them. Beginning to question if Minho was actually sure he was leading them in the right direction, Chan made a motion to stop the Tracker by pulling on his sleeve but upon seeing one building still standing amongst the debris, he figured that this was where Gyujin had taken their friend. It certainly wasn’t easy to locate and if Minho hadn’t been on their team, Chan was unsure whether they would have ever found somewhere like this, somewhere so secluded and unknown. Gyujin certainly did play into this whole mysterious ideology, Chan thought.

 

“Minho, is this it? This is where Jisungie is?”

 

The Tracker’s eyes flared gold once more before he nodded his head. “He’s inside but his aura is really weak, we need to hurry. There seems to be a lot of other people in there too. I’m counting near thirty but I can’t sense Gyujin’s. Maybe he’s not there anymore or maybe he’s masking it. There could be others that are masking it too, I can’t tell.”

 

“Nine of us against at least thirty? That’s not going to be easy, especially if they’re powerful classes. Your Tracker abilities don’t allow you to distinguish something like that, do they, hyung?”

 

“Sorry, Lix, it doesn’t work that way. I can just tell how many, not what classes they are. It doesn’t matter how many people are in there with him, all that matters is that Jisung is there. We’re going to take a few minutes to make sure that everyone is ready to go, ok? Check your equipment and bags and prepare for the worst. I’m not saying that the worst will happen but we should assume that it could.”

 

All boys nodded towards Minho, obediently listening to his orders. He had only ever taken this sort of leadership role on once before and that was to save Seungmin and Jeongin from Siwan’s house. That operation was pretty much labelled a success, some of that being down to Minho’s careful planning. So, when he stepped forward to give commands for this expedition, none of them had a problem with it; Woojin and Chan were actually rather proud of him for taking on the responsibility to help guide them through it, hoping that nobody would get injured. He was apparently experienced in this compared to the others, infiltrating a dangerous situation and putting his life on the line, so they were going to listen to him without hesitation.

 

“We leave in five minutes.”

 

* * *

 

“Ah, what a sadistic bitch.”

 

Jisung gathered up the blood in his mouth and weakly spit it out. The metallic taste burned the inside of his mouth, causing bile to rise up his throat. Ever since he had been a part of Gyujin’s nefarious and malicious schemes all those months ago, he never could stand the taste or smell of the garish liquid. He had learned to hide his aversion to it from his members pretty well, mastering suppressing and concealing the tremors that took over his hands when he came into contact with the thing that reminded him of what he had been forced to do.

 

Once Soyeon had returned from wherever the hell she had wandered off to, she had come back to him to resume her, as Gyujin called it, play with Jisung. He did wonder how or why anyone would learn how to torture someone else like this, to make them feel this much pain and apparently seem to enjoy it. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t particularly want to know what made her as twisted as she was.

 

The question that interested him even more was how she had come across someone like Gyujin or how he had come across her. Not that Gyujin wasn’t a fabulously wonderful person who so many people would love to meet but Jisung began to speculate how he had managed to sink his claws into this woman and get her to assist him in his many dubious deeds. Maybe she was simply born with this inherent ability to cause harm to people, to be exactly like Gyujin was or maybe something had pushed her over the edge. People had different pasts, Jisung knew all about that and what happened in your previous life could always impact on how you turned out as an adult. He could have so easily turned out so much differently than the person he had chosen to be but he had promised himself that whatever he had endured, he would not fall to the darkness that sometimes bubbled up inside of him. Whatever had made Soyeon become like this was not something that Jisung would particularly like to experience.

 

His newfound bravery came and went but at the moment, he was playing it up as much as he could. “So, noona, how did your lovely self and Gyujin come to meet anyways?” Jisung hated how hoarse he sounded, his gravelly tone betraying the boldness he was trying to convey.

 

A harsh slap resounded through the room as the Thief’s neck snapped to the side. “Show some respect. He’s your hyung, address him as such.”

 

“Ah, he’s not my hyung anymore. He lost that privilege when he tried to murder me. Surely you can understand that? You think that he deserves respect? And from me? Wow, you really don’t know much about our relationship, do you?”

 

“I know that you betrayed him. Family should stick together through everything. You’re a disgrace.”

 

“Yep, you’re right, I am a disgrace but I’d rather be a disgrace that an apathetic psychopath who uses people without caring who they hurt. Strange for someone like yourself to have morals, especially about family when you’re so content in torturing me.” Jisung really wasn’t trying to anger the woman, he knew what would follow if she really did take to heart what he was saying but now that he was free to express how he felt about the subject, it was difficult to get him to shut up.

 

“What the hell do you even get out of this? What? Did Gyujin tell you that he’d look after you? Were you on your own?” The slight twitch in Soyeon’s left eye told Jisung that he had hit a nerve upon accurately guessing why she was with his brother in the first place. “Sorry to break the news to you but as soon as you become a burden or are no longer useful to him, he’ll throw you away, just like he tried to do to me. You mean absolutely nothing to him.”

 

“Shut up! You don’t know anything about us!” A reaction and a shrill one at that. The calm front that Soyeon had been maintaining was slowly starting to crumble and burn in front of Jisung’s eyes.

 

“Listen, he might mean something to you but the feeling isn’t mutual. He’s not capable of love, that’s a characteristic of a psychopath. You can’t change that, you can’t change him. He’s a monster.”

 

Jisung didn’t get to keep trying to convince Soyeon about the type of person he knew his brother was as his chest constricted once again, the shockwaves flowing through the chair making their way around his body. It seemed that Soyeon had only been using a portion of the power that could be conducted but now he was feeling the full brunt of it and it felt like his whole body was being burned alive; it was a strangely similar feeling to when Gyujin would use his blood magic on him. He thought that if this continued, he wouldn’t just simply pass out, he wouldn’t wake up at all. The white noise in his ears calmed as the dial was turned and the electricity ceased. The Thief’s head lolled forward, his strength now becoming insignificant in aiding him to keep it upright. Jisung thought he must look like a complete mess, saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth, body jolting after the waves of energy being forced through it, wrists scrubbed raw from the ropes he struggled harshly against.

 

“Fuck, that really hurt,” Jisung whispered, barely having enough energy to form the words.

 

“Say anything more and I’ll leave it on permanently. You really do know nothing about us. You weren’t worth loving to him but I am. I’ll be back shortly. Think about what you want to say to me next very carefully. I think Gyujin-nim would be awfully upset if I killed you but if I explained why, he would probably forgive me.”

 

Soyeon glared at the disheveled boy before turning on her heel and slamming the door, Jisung snorting slightly as he heard the lock click. Did she really think that he had the strength to escape at this stage? He was a shell of a person, drifting in and out of consciousness and trying to ignore every pore in his body that was screaming at him in pain. He didn’t know if he would make it through this but he was rather proud of himself that he had managed to rile the sadistic woman up.

 

“Unfortunately for you, noona, that bastard isn’t capable of forgiveness either.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Lix, come here for a second.”

 

Momentarily stopping looking through the leather bag on his waist to make sure everything was in order, Felix was slowly pulled away from the group by Changbin, the others too immersed in planning out the details to take any notice of the two. Guiding him beneath the canopy of trees, Changbin gave a wistful smile to the boy in front of him that made him even weaker than he ever thought possible. Grabbing Felix’s smaller hands in his, Changbin gently swayed them from side to side, trying to mitigate the obvious restlessness within the other.

 

“Lix, I don’t know how this operation is going to go. I don’t know how it will turn out. We’ll all look out for each other, I know that but we can’t guarantee that all of us will make it back out when going up against someone like Gyujin.”

 

“Hyung, what the hell are you talking about? You can’t go into something like this with that kind of mindset! We’re going to find Jisungie and go home together, I know that for a fact. You make it sound like you’ve already given up…” Giving a sharp squeeze to the other’s hand, Felix couldn’t help but fret over Changbin’s mentality. A gentle wind rustled the trees above, causing leaves and blossoms to fall down upon the two boys, the tense silence whispering around their ears.

 

“No, Lix, I haven’t given up, I’m just being realistic. I’m sure you’re right, I’m sure we’ll get Jisung and all come out of this safely but just in case we don’t…” Carefully placing his hands behind the younger boy’s neck, the Medic pulled Felix forward a little, placing a chaste kiss upon his forehead before meeting it with his own.   

 

“I’ve been stupid enough not to say anything to you since we met, though you can blame Jisung for interrupting me the few times I actually tried to tell you. You mean more to me than anything else in this entire world. Ever since we first met, I’ve realised that you’re my missing piece and nothing will ever change that. I’m absolutely crazy about you and everything that you stand for. Do you realise how unbelievably brave you are? I can tell by your face that you don’t think so but you are. I’d be lost without you and the amount of shit I’ve gotten from all the others because of that is outrageous, let me tell you. It’s alright if you don’t feel the same way but I needed to let you know in case something happens in there.”

 

The look of sincerity on the Medic’s face made the younger boy’s heart dance, Changbin’s searing fingertips circling the back of his neck as their eyes remained locked in place. He told himself not to cry, that would make him seem unbelievably uncool and in a moment like this, that’s not what he wanted Changbin to see him as. Instead, he burst into elated giggles, startling Changbin in the process. Once he opened his eyes to look at the Medic in front of him, Felix thought that laughter mightn’t have been the smartest idea as Changbin looked ready to sprint away, obviously thinking that Felix thought of his confession as something humorous and would never be able to see him in that sort of way. Wrapping his arms around the elder’s waist, Felix buried his face in his strong chest, laughter still pouring from his lips.

 

“Do you realise how many times I’ve wanted to say the exact same thing to you? You’re not the only one who feels that way.”

 

Still unsure of what to do, Changbin tried to pry Felix off of him, being unsuccessful in all of his attempts. “Lix, it’s ok, you don’t have to lie. Like I said, I just needed to tell you about this, you don’t have to pretend. But you didn’t really have to laugh at me either,” Changbin mumbled, face flaring red at the thought of his admission of feelings was a little bit of a joke to the younger boy.

 

Raising his head to stare at the Medic, Felix slowly moved his arms around the elder’s neck and leaned into an ever so gentle kiss. It was quick, lips barely ghosting off of each other, nothing more than a few seconds to let Changbin know that he was just as invested in this as the other was. Gently swiping his thumbs across the elder’s face, Felix once again broke into little giggles at the disbelieving look in Changbin’s eyes as they stared back at him.

 

Entering a momentary stupor, Changbin couldn’t believe that what he had wanted for the last month was actually coming to fruition and he really had to restrain himself with all of his might not to pinch himself to make sure that it was real. His other side had to prevent itself from indulging too much in the meaningful kiss that Felix had initiated. Not the time or place for that, Changbin thought. Still, he allowed his hands to fall back around Felix’s waist, no urgency or pressure behind the light touch that grounded him and let him know that this wasn’t just happening inside of his head like he had daydreamt about so many times.

 

“I love you, Binnie. You mean everything to me too. In these kinds of circumstances, we can’t really spend much time dwelling on this but I’m so very glad that you decided to finally tell me. Jinnie has been nagging me to do it since before we entered Aquiria but it doesn’t matter now. It’s all settled.”

 

“Lix, Changbinnie hyung, come on, let’s go.”

 

Returning from the glance he threw Hyunjin, Felix could see the terror in Changbin’s eyes, so petrified of what was going to happen to all of them, that they wouldn’t come back out of this alive and it made his chest burn.

 

“I love you too, Lix. Promise me that when we go in that you’ll stay with me. Don’t leave my side, alright? I don’t want to think about the possibility of losing you or any of the others for that matter. I just want Jisungie out of that place, to bring him home.” Interlacing their fingers, Changbin could feel their pulses beating in sync, the slightly heightened pace relaxing him a little knowing that he wasn’t the only one who was slightly flustered after the eventual admission of their feelings. Hand in hand, both boys walked towards their friends, ready to put their life on the line for the one they loved.

 

* * *

 

Minho knew that this whole mission was a risk, not something to be taken lightly but he also thought that it was something that he could make it through with his friends watching his back. Filing through the front door, all stayed on guard in case they were to encounter any of the undesirables that Minho had detected with his abilities before they had entered the facility. Unlike their earlier infiltration mission, they had decided that they would try to get as far as they could without alerting the enemy but then again, their levels of stealth hadn’t made any difference to their plan in the end. Siwan had already known that they were coming but they hoped that this time would turn out a little differently.

 

It seemed that Gyujin’s little followers had no idea about the groups arrival as, when they finally did come face to face with them, loud objections and questions asking them who they were surfaced, being thrown at them from all directions. Minho counted twenty nine, close enough to the amount of people he had identified before they entered the building.

 

None of the men spent any time hesitating, lunging forwards and trying to attack the much smaller group of boys. Standing still and waiting for the oncoming attack, none of the boys saw Yukhei’s movements, far too quick for the human eye to focus upon, as he ran head first into the group of enraged men. Taking down two at once, he grinned maniacally, having the time in of his life as he began eliminate enemies. The others couldn’t help but notice the other men turn their attention towards the young Assassin and move to attack him but they weren’t going to let that happen, even if they didn’t entirely agree with how Yukhei was dealing with their opposition.

 

Mani was on Felix’s shoulder in a second, letting out a shrill scream that made the majority of the men cover their ears, though the sound didn’t affect the rest of his members in any way. Felix had asked Mani to direct it at those who weren’t part of his group and the little Chiyeou fully understood what his master had asked of him. Jeongin was the next to move, summoning the ghostly woman that Minho felt far too uncomfortable in front of again. Her attention was too focused on the enemies in front of her to zone in on Minho, which he was more than thankful for. All of them let their abilities loose, attacking the men who stood in their way to get to their objective. However, in doing so, all of the boys began to realise how drained they truly were. They had fought with all their might back in the arena earlier on in the day which only added to the fatigue they felt after sleeping for a pitiful amount of time the night before after trying to comfort Jisung.

 

Minho made a move to grab his Katana to help with the fight, before he felt a gentle grip on his shoulder.

 

“You’re the only one who can sense where Jisung is and you said that we need to hurry. We’ll take care of these assholes. You find our boy and bring him back to us. I’ll trust you with that, Minho.” With a nod of his head, Woojin placed a strong but calming hand on the back of Minho’s neck, throwing a smile for good luck as he grabbed his Spear and rushed to help Hyunjin fight off his attackers.   

 

Minho wasn’t going to waste any of the precious time that his friends had provided him with by putting themselves in harms way. He wouldn’t let them down, he wouldn’t disappoint them again, this he promised himself. Finding an opening, he rushed through the madness before finding a door leading to the rest of the building on the other side. He was going to find Jisung and he was going to bring him home.

 

* * *

 

Trying to activate his Third Eye again, he winced at the pain that flew throughout his body. Minho knew it was because he had a limited use of that particular ability within a certain time period and he had already used it far too much today. He didn’t care what it took, he was going to find Jisung even if it killed him and at the rate his energy and body was deteriorating, it looked like it just might. His vision clouded over, the black haze that had disoriented him in Siwan’s home now felt like it was clawing at his eyes once again and it nearly caused the Tracker to collapse. Palm resting against the wall, Minho didn’t really have time to stop and gauge exactly why this kept happening to him in the most critical of moments, when he needed his abilities the most. He had to keep moving but when he couldn’t see where he was going, it did make it a tad more difficult. The boy hated feeling this defenceless when there could be enemies lurking around every corner but only seconds passed before he could see the long, bleak hallway in front of him again. He needed to figure out how to stop that from happening to him. Right now, all he could do was check every room along his way to see if Jisung was being kept in one of them.

 

Bashing through the first door, Minho found an empty space, nothing but a single chair placed in the room. Jisung wasn’t there. This place didn’t interest him. The second room he tried seemed like someone had been living there, magazines thrown across the floor and under the bed. A screen was mounted on the wall and buzzed with static but it was still vacant and held nothing of importance for the Tracker. It took him another seven tries before he hit off of a door to open it but it wouldn’t budge. He tried again. Nothing. If the room was locked, then Minho figured there must be something important inside. He knew it may be hopeless, it may just looked like he was talking to himself in a deserted hallway but right now, it didn’t matter.

 

“Jisung, are you in there?”

 

Knocking faintly against the door, he begged for there to be a response from the one he so desperately wanted to find. From the fear inducing worry that clamped on his body, his strength was being sapped from him with each passing second, his raps on the door becoming fainter and fainter as he leaned against the cool metal. He couldn’t use his abilities to find Jisung anymore, he was back to being a normal kid in the real world, terrified of far too many things.

 

“Minho?”

 

Eyes shooting open, Minho prayed that he hadn’t just missed the younger boy so much that he had simply heard his voice echo within his head.

 

“Jisung? Is that you?”

 

“Yeah, I’m here.”

 

Voice cracking and barely audible, Jisung sounded tired, like he didn’t have the strength to raise his voice anymore to communicate with the boy being separated from him by the formidable door.

 

“Jisung, hold on a second. I’m coming, ok? Just hold on for me.” Gaining some newfound strength, Minho moved back before ramming his shoulder into the door, gaining him a small jingle from the screws that bolted it to the wall. He tried again and again, each time feeling like he was getting somewhere with the hinges creaking with every push. The pain emanating from his shoulder told him that he would be waking up with numerous bruises from his constant impact with the door but Jisung was worth the pain to the Tracker. With one final push, Minho flew through the opening, barely managing to steady himself on his feet to stop himself coming into contact with the filthy floor. He really hadn’t thought about what to expect when he finally did manage to enter the room but what he was met with made both his blood boil and painful tears well up in his eyes.

 

Jisung sat there, broken and bruised, head lolling to the side as he tried to look up and meet the other boy’s eyes. Underneath his sleeves, Minho could see the slits and slices that littered his skin, obviously caused by some sort of knife or sharp instrument. Blisters around his wrists where his arms came into contact with the chair and the dark blue rings around his eyes told Minho exactly what Gyujin had been doing to Jisung since he managed to sink his claws into him once again. The clamps around the back of the chair confirmed his horrible, gut wrenching theory that Jisung had been subjected to rather intense shocks and electrocution. Contrary to his earlier feeling, he now hoped that Gyujin would show up in front of him, so that he could make him feel the unethical pain that he had made his younger brother go through. Minho told himself not to break after seeing Jisung like this. The Thief needed him and he wasn’t going to deny him of that. Rushing to his side, Minho quickly began to untie the knots that dug into his delicate skin, keeping an eye on the younger boy’s already pale complexion, begging him to stay with him. The ropes seemed to be winning against Minho’s trembling fingers as he fumbled again and again while trying to free Jisung.

 

“Minho, it hurts.” The suffering in the Thief’s whisper almost caused the older boy to crumble beneath its weight but he was going to stay strong, to show Jisung that this would only be a passing feeling.

  
“I know, sunshine, I know it does but I’m going to get you out of here, alright?” Momentarily ceasing his work, Minho cupped Jisung’s face, gently pushing his blood and sweat soaked bangs from his face and worriedly glancing over his defeated form. “We’re going to go home with all of the others and you are going to be absolutely fine. Changbinnie will look after you when we get out of here and make you feel a whole lot better. I promise, ok?”  

 

Jisung nodded weakly, Minho being positive that he was doing everything in his power not to pass out. Finally grasping the ends of the abrasive ropes in his hands, the Tracker freed Jisung’s wrists and chest before throwing them harshly across the room. Minho wasn’t sure how to progress next. Should he just gather the injured boy up in his arms, place him on his back or just try to support him? Should he touch him at all? Not that he could but an unsure feeling made him wonder if Jisung would push him away were he fully in control of his body. The circumstance certainly didn’t erase everything that had happened between them, the crushing guilt still present in the older boy’s chest but surely Jisung would understand that he was only trying to help were he to hold him in his arms. Carefully cradling his cheek in his palm, Minho gently called out Jisung’s name to gather his unfocused attention.

 

“Jisung, I’m going to pick you up now, alright? You can yell and scream at me all you want when we get you out of here and make sure that you're back safe with the others. Just trust me for a little while.”

 

No responses came from the mousy haired boy in front of him and static buzzed through Minho’s ears instead, panic riddling his body as he thought he mightn’t have as much time as he thought to get the younger boy to safety. “Jisung? I need you to stay awake for me, sunshine. Just keep focusing on my voice and if you can, keep talking to me. I know you’re tired but you can rest all you want when we get home.”

 

A weighted sigh fell from the other’s lips with a slight but noticeable bob of his head. With confirmation that he was allowed to move forward, Minho began to tenderly wrap his arms around the boy’s waist but was suddenly halted when he noticed blood beginning to drip from his own nose onto Jisung’s already blood stained jeans. Raising his fingers to brush the fluid away, he didn’t have time to figure out what caused it before his body was set alight on the inside. The scream it ripped from his throat pierced his own ears as he crumbled to the ground.

 

“Tsk, tsk, now Minho, I’m more than certain that your class isn’t a Thief, so you shouldn’t be going around stealing things that aren’t yours. I’d prefer it if you kept your filthy hands off of my baby brother.”

 

Minho felt like gravity was working against him as he tried to stand and face Gyujin head on. He wasn’t quite sure if this was all part of the Blood Mages abilities, making his body feel as if their was poison running through his veins, making him feel like he was choking even though there was nothing obscuring his airway. If Jisung had endured this kind of pain throughout the time that he had been with Gyujin, then Minho only felt even more pity towards the boy sitting in front of him.

 

“Shut the fuck up. He doesn’t belong to you. He doesn’t belong to anyone, he’s not a plaything for you to mess with.” Minho ignored his body as it screamed at him to stay on the ground, not wanting to further the already tremendous strain afflicting it. Grabbing his Katana resting on his back, Minho fell into an, albeit wobbly, fighting stance as he glared at Gyujin.

 

“You’re going to try and fight me? In the state that you’re in? Man, does he really mean that much to you? Let me ask you a question then. If I gave you a choice of who I should make suffer, who would you choose? You?” Minho screamed again as his fingers curled in on themselves when Gyujin used his torturous magic on him, barely managing to stay in an upright position, laboured breaths leaving his mouth as the Mage finished his spell.

 

“Or him?” Minho’s heart flipped in the wrong direction when he heard Jisung cry out in pain as Gyujin turned his attention to the already broken boy in the chair.

 

All hesitation thrown aside, Minho charged towards the Blood Mage, hand still outstretched towards a howling Jisung. Gyujin barely managed to evade Minho’s Katana, impressed by the speed that the Tracker had come at him with. Dodging right and left, Minho did his best not to give the other enough time to focus and use his abilities to harm Jisung.

 

It was a rather stupid question that Gyujin had asked him. Choosing who would be harmed. He would always choose himself if it meant that he could protect Jisung. He would take a thousand bullets for the boy, endure the worst kinds of torture, accept all the pain that would ever be thrown at the other for the rest of his life. There is absolutely nothing that Minho wouldn’t do if it meant that Jisung could be happy. That had been the whole reason that he had left him in the first place; he thought Jisung would be happier without him there to mess up his life. Jisung’s being was far too bright and pure to be ruined by someone as dark and tainted as himself.

 

“Minho!”

 

It may have broken his focus just a little when Chan called out his name but he kept attacking the man in front of him like it was his only mission in life. The others rushed into the room, wondering if they should assist in the battle taking place in front of them but Minho gave them a look, one that shouted at them to look after Jisung and forget about him. Changbin rushed over to Jisung, wide eyes surveying how devastatingly wounded he was. Jisung had always been a magnet for bad luck and misfortune, being injured far too many times in the short amount of time that he had known him but Changbin had never seen him like this before, so fragmented and mangled. Moving his hands to cup his face, the Medic didn’t get any further as he was harshly thrown against the brick wall, only to fall to the ground with a resounding thump.

 

Not realising what had happened until he heard Changbin’s name being yelled by the others, Minho quickly looked around to see Changbin’s still form across the room. Turning back to glare at Gyujin after a rather amused chuckle, rage consumed him when he saw the Blood Mage enjoying himself far too much after injuring yet another one of his members.

 

“Do you think that I have to use my hands to inflict harm on your members? All I need to do is project my energy and their worst imaginings could come true. Granted, it’s a little difficult to attack more than one person when I’m being distracted by you like this but I think it will be more than enough.”

 

Minho’s blood ran cold when he heard Chan scream as he ran to Changbin’s side, not making it to the other boy before he was on the floor grasping at his head, clearly in tremendous pain, made more obvious by the blood leaking from his nose. Woojin was at his side in an instant, cupping his face and trying to halt his shrieks. The Bard’s eyes were pleading, looking at the man he loved writhing in pain in front of him before he buried Chan’s head in his chest, not knowing what the hell he could do.

 

Yukhei didn’t think twice before getting ready to pounce but before he even moved, like his thoughts had already been read by Gyujin, he was picked up and thrown out the door they had entered through, slamming against the dusty floor outside.

 

The Tracker didn’t know where to look. At Jisung’s still form, at Changbin’s unconscious body pushed against the damp wall, at his hyungs grasping onto each other as Chan began to blubber and plead to make the pain stop. The one place his mind wasn’t automatically drawn to was where it was required the most. Gyujin’s eyes flicked towards the youngest group of boys standing towards the door and Minho attacked him with even harsher movements than before.

 

“You fucking touch them and-”

 

“You’ll what? I think you’re already trying pretty hard to kill me but you don’t seem to be doing a very good job and that’s such a shame, I thought you better than this.” With the flick of his wrist, Felix was flung forwards, straight into the wall right beside Changbin and harshly coming into contact with the chalky floor with a loud yelp. Jeongin, slightly trembling, made a move towards the freckled boy on the ground before he was picked up and thrown across to the other side of the room.

 

“Stop, stop it. Stop hurting them!” Minho yelled, doing everything in his power to improve his accuracy, increase his speed, anything he could do to stop making his friends go through all of this pain.

 

Finally coming back to the situation, Hyunjin shook his head and ran forward to help Minho in his assault but once he heard Seungmin choke, his fingers grasping at his throat, he halted in his tracks, running back to the Illusionist before dropping to his side and asking him with dread coating his words what was wrong.

 

“My little birdies told me that this kid has a bit of a fear of being choked, of being suffocated, thought I should play off of that.” Minho found it hard to tear his eyes away from Seungmin’s shaking form, eyes filled with tears and begging Hyunjin to allow him to breathe again. “With all of your friends incapacitated, Minho, I guess I can focus specifically on you for a little while.”

 

The Tracker’s Katana stopped mid-swing, fingers uncurling from the hilt and letting it fall to the ground. Having someone else control your body was a very foreign feeling, something that Minho was so very uncomfortable with.

 

“It seems that Ji won’t be awake to see my finish off all of his friends but I can leave your bodies here to show him afterwards. Whatever will I do with that girl? She really does go overboard with her tortuous ways sometimes. Huh, who am I to talk?”

 

Minho began to feel a very unwelcome sensation in his body as it felt like his blood began to boil within him, He reached out to Gyujin in a feeble attempt to stop him but knew that it was useless. He felt tears streaming down his cheeks but knew that the pain hadn’t caused him to start crying just yet and came to the conclusion, after seeing the drops fall to the floor, that it wasn’t water falling from his eyes. This Blood Mage’s magic was insanely strong, Minho thought, and it looked like it was going to be the death of him.

 

“I don’t think you quite realise how much you mean to my little brother. I could see it in his eyes when I told him you were coming to get him, the little spark of hope that crossed over his face at the mention of your name. Young love, it’s so heartwarming.”

 

He had known that they were coming for him. No matter how much they had planned, it would have all been futile. Minho could feel the pressure within his head, making it feel like it was going to burst but he could do nothing about it. All of the others had their own troubles, either knocked out, in unimaginable pain or trying to comfort the ones that they loved. They didn’t have to time to help Minho and that was alright. He thought that they should focus on those who mattered. If he was the one to go, nobody would miss him. He just prayed that they could find the strength to face Gyujin after the psychopathic man had finished with him.

 

“I’m getting rather bored of playing with you Minho. So many months of you following me around and this is how it all comes to an end for you? I’m sure the others will give more favourable reactions when I play with them. How would you like to go? I can give you a few options. Fast or slow? Painful or painless? Not answering? I guess I’ll have to be inventive then. So sorry to see you go, Minho but-”

 

Blood spattered across Minho’s face as his rigid body became lax and was finally allowed to fall to the ground. He scrubbed his eyes, erasing the blood obscuring his vision as he looked up to Gyujin, gasping for air as he stood, stunned.

 

“I told y-you that if you touched anyone in my g-group that I would end you, Gyujin.” The scalpel embedded in Gyujin’s jugular caused him to sputter vulgar words and glittering, red liquid from his lips. Being so immersed in harming Minho, he never noticed Jisung coming back into the world of consciousness, his wrists being free and hands being armed with the scalpel he had stolen earlier. The Thief dug it in impossibly deep, making sure that Gyujin wouldn’t be returning to harm his friends anymore.

 

Minho noticed Seungmin gasp with great force as his airways were free once again, Hyunjin pulling him in close to his chest and cradling him as he broke into terrified sobs. Chan held back on breaking down into Woojin’s chest as he crawled forward to make sure that Changbin and Felix were still with them; Woojin immediately ran to Jeongin on the other side of the room to help him up.

 

Minho scooted back just in time for Gyujin’s body to fall forward and collapse on the ground. He lay there for a few seconds, inhaling deeply, not quite grasping what had just happened to him. Glancing at the boy who had finally ended his reign of terror, Gyujin smiled his devilish smile and let out the smallest laugh that his body could muster.

 

“See, Ji? We’re not so different after all. I guess killing really does stay in the family…”

 

Motionless on the floor, Gyujin’s breath became stagnant as his eyes clouded over and Minho saw that, finally, the nightmare was over. The relief that washed over him didn’t take hold of him for long as he noticed Jisung’s legs give way and made a sharp movement to catch the boy before he did even more damage to himself by coming into contact with the ground.

 

“Jisung, can you hear me? Sunshine, come on, wake up for me.” The boy’s skin burned hot beneath Minho’s fingertips as he ignored the blood still seeping out of his eyes and nose. That didn’t matter. Jisung mattered. They had done the impossible again, as they had weirdly become so used to doing. Gyujin was gone, Jisung was alive, as were all of the others. Was it luck or something more that allowed them to always come out of these kinds of situations with everybody walking away with their lives? Minho didn’t have time to care about any of that just yet. It would take them time to recover from this, mentally and physically but he knew that if anyone could bounce back from an ordeal like this, then it would be this group of boys.

 

The screech of the metal door across the floor caused all of them to look towards the sound. Minho had already figured that the woman he had bought Jisung’s drink from back at the bar had been working for Gyujin but his suspicions were only confirmed as she stood in the doorway with a horrified expression. Legs nearly giving way, she let out a wail that filled the entire space, running to Gyujin’s still form before bending down, trying to get some sort of response out of him but it was too late, he was long gone. Upon realising what had happened, Soyeon’s hands began to tremble, her eyes glazing over as she receded into her own head.

 

Minho couldn’t find it within himself to feel pity for the girl who had tried to kill Jisung nor the unmoving man laying on the ground but the thoughts of losing the one you cared about the most was not something that he particularly wanted to embrace.

 

A loud ripping sound resonated throughout the vast room and Minho turned his head towards the noise, still holding Jisung up as he rested on the Tracker’s knee. What he saw confused him more than a little bit. He saw a hole in the wall, one that showed the outside but it was not the area outside the building in which they were currently in. It showed the sea, more specifically, it showed the beach at Aquiria. Minho quickly came to the realisation that this was because of a Leaper’s powers and assumed that Soyeon was the one doing this because she was mourning over the death of Gyujin. 

Another deafening rip came from Minho’s left as he saw a portal that led to the entrance to the Rautaja fortress, the dark atmosphere flowing through the opening and warning them to stay away. Soyeon let out a cry as she turned her attention towards the group of boys who had taken away the one that she held so dear, the Leaper’s powers causing reality to bend so much that it seemed to affect the structure of the building as it began to shake and crumble around them.

 

She whispered sweet reassurances to Gyujin’s lifeless body, as if the calming words would bring him back to her. Lazily gazing back at Minho, the Tracker noticed her irises flare violet, losing herself to her abilities.

 

The noise that surrounded Minho when he heard the opening of a portal caught his attention just in time for him to see Chan fall through the hole that had been created beneath him, closing up immediately afterwards, quietening his shout as he disappeared into the floor. Silence danced around them as they tried to take in and make sense of what had just happened. Laboured breaths and disbelieving eyes scanned the area for the Knight, for their friend but he was no longer present.

 

Chan was gone.

 

He was gone, taken away from them and now Minho knew exactly how Soyeon’s abilities could really do damage to them. She wouldn’t have stood a chance if she was to fight them by herself but she could do the next best thing: separate all of them from one another.

 

Woojin yelled Chan’s name, clawing at the floor through which the portal had opened and taken the young man away from them. There wasn’t enough time to react when Hyunjin’s yelp mirrored Chan’s as he was dragged away from Seungmin’s arms, falling through another portal that Soyeon had conjured up as her abilities ran wild. Then it happened again and again and again. Jeongin, Felix, Changbin, Woojin, Seungmin, Yukhei; all of them disappeared from the room as Soyeon’s abilities flourished and separated the family that held each other so close. Minho shielded Jisung from the rubble beginning to fall on top of the both of them, worried that they wouldn’t be making out of here alive. He turned his panicked eyes towards Soyeon as she cradled Gyujin’s lifeless body in her arms, watery eyes staring back at him. It seemed to him that she didn’t even realise what she was after doing, her features glazed over with anguish. Her powers seemed to have gone rampant, the young woman no longer having control over the portals she opened, her despair clouding her mind. Minho had assumed she was doing this to hurt them, to make them feel immense pain but no longer thought this was the case. Something had broken within her, she was no longer lucid.

 

With one last cry, Minho felt himself falling, to where, he did not know. Tumbling into the darkness of the portal that Soyeon had created, he noticed the building collapse on top of her as the portal closed. He kept falling and falling but never, not once, did he ever let go of Jisung’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wouldn't it have been lovely if they saved Jisungie and all huddled together for a big hug before going on a lovely, fluffy vacation? Good thing you know not to expect that from me at this stage. Why do I do this to them?


	28. It's hard to believe in coincidence, but it's even harder to believe in anything else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wake up to see that Phantasm has reached over ten thousand hits..........  
> WHAT?! How? When? Why? I don't understand? Thank you all so much! That's unbelievably incredible. I can't believe that people have actually read my little fic. Today marks six months since I started updating and when I started, I honestly didn't think that anyone would read it so, thank you to all of you who have and left kudos and comments. It was the best gift ever to wake up to on a day like today for me. Thank you again and again, I love all of you and hope you have a terrific week! Ok, enough of my rambling, here's the next chapter for you guys! So many of you threatened to end me after last week...on we go!

Chan woke up with a groan. The ache in his lower back made sitting up rather difficult but he managed to persevere and make it into an upright position. His stomach swirled as he looked ahead, turning his head to the side and coughing up whatever remnants remained in his stomach from breakfast. Hands and knees covered in mud from the forest floor, Chan couldn’t help but feel a weird sense of déjà vu as he surveyed his surroundings. It wasn’t the same place where he had woken up when he first arrived in Phantasm but he could certainly see and feel the similarities, especially the confusion of not knowing where the hell he was as the colossal trees hung ominously over him. Managing to get to his feet with a little wobble, Chan glanced around him and tried to get his headspace settled. It seemed to be getting dark judging by the sky that peeked through the leaves. It was happening to him all over again. Why the hell was he in a forest? Why the hell was his head spinning? Why the hell wasn’t he with the others? The others.

 

Even though Chan had already vomited up whatever was in his stomach, the feeling of terror made him gag on nothing. He remembered running to Changbin’s side after Gyujin had flung him so harshly into the wall. The pain he had experienced as the Blood Mage had used his magic on him was unbearable and he knew that Jisung had been subject to such torture while he was still with his brother. Woojin had held him close, telling him that everything was going to be alright, even though Chan could tell he was more than terrified. Then, Jisung had done something that would stay with him for a long time. The Thief was an amiable person, someone who wouldn’t hurt a fly unless it was a matter of life or death, he was one who would shield those around him and he had killed his brother because his friends were in danger. It was not an action to be taken lightly but Chan couldn’t find it within himself to feel anything but relief that Gyujin was no longer in this world or any other one for that matter. He couldn’t hurt any of them, he couldn’t hurt Jisung but Chan didn’t even know if any of the others were even alive anymore.

 

No.

 

He couldn’t think something like that, not now, not ever. He recollected a woman coming to cradle Gyujin’s lifeless body, the building beginning to crumble and shake around them and then he remembered falling. Falling and falling and not coming to a stop. Did he lose consciousness along the way? Not the thing to be worried about at a time like this, Chan thought. If he could figure out where he was, then maybe, just maybe he could figure out what to do.

 

Keeping a clear head was the main priority in a situation like this. If he began to panic, then there was no hope for him. No negative thoughts, no assuming the worst had happened, keep thinking ahead to the positive future he knew that he had. They had never discussed what to do if they were ever separated from each other because, to be honest, they would never have let each other out of their sight if they could have helped it. However, the couldn’t have helped what had happened to them and the others were nowhere in sight.

 

Chan didn’t care for being alone anymore. He had spent a lot of his time in the real world by himself, unless he was working, helping take care of the kids but in his home life, he was a rather solitary person. He had also woken up in the game alone but ever since he had met all of the others, he had come to the conclusion that being on his own just didn’t suit him anymore. He needed companionship, he needed his friends and he was most definitely going to find them, all of them, even if it was the last thing he did.

 

He pondered on which direction he should head in next. First, he would have to find out where he was but he had become somewhat familiar with the geography of this world. Woojin had been teaching him about certain details of Phantasm in recent nights before they had settled in to sleep. Chan wanted to know as much as he possibly could and after being placed in a situation like this, he was rather glad that his inquisitive nature had made him curious. To regroup, they would go somewhere that all of them had been before, a safe haven, somewhere that they knew there would be no danger waiting for them, only each other.

 

Haknal.

 

Chan thought that if he were ever to find the others, then that would probably be the place that all of them would head to in a situation like this. If they were still in this world.

 

“Stop it, Chan, stop thinking stuff like that!” he scolded himself out loud, knowing that nobody would think he was crazy for talking to himself when the only thing surrounding him was the gentle whisper of the wind. Had he always been this pessimistic about things? Or had his negativism only become more apparent after entering this godforsaken game?  

 

Trying to gather his bearings, Chan began to walk in no direction in particular. He was fortunate enough to still hold his sword on his hip and shield on his back; the small pouch hanging from the side of his leg and secured around his waist held a few coins and healing potions if he were to need them in the near future. Unlike his first experience in Phantasm, Chan thought that if he were to come up against another savage beast, he would be more than capable of taking it down, especially after what he had learned from Bambam.

 

He sighed heavily at the thought of his friend who he had left behind. Jeongin had sent a wisp back to their team after they had walked a few miles outside of the town to let them know what they were about to dive in to. He felt more than a little guilty that they hadn’t informed the older group of boys about the situation earlier, knowing that they would have wanted to help, that they’d probably be worried sick about them, especially now that they wouldn’t be returning to Morthan, not soon anyways. Causing them unnecessary panic was not an intention that they had but they had probably still caused it all the same.

 

The bitterness of the night was beginning to descend on Chan, wrapping his arms around himself as he saw the sun beginning to disappear beyond the horizon. He didn’t see any signs of life around him and began to wonder if he would have to spend the night in this wretched forest. They never really had reason to but Chan had never been out in the dark before while in Phantasm. They had camped outside, sure but they had always had each other, settling off of the beaten track to make them less obvious to danger. Woojin had warned him that more vicious and deadly creatures came to life at night and they were not something that you wanted to be around. The thought scared him a little as they had come into contact with pretty powerful monsters during the day so, whatever came out at night, it wasn’t something he wanted to experience first hand.

 

It was getting closer and closer to dusk and Chan was just about ready to give up and try and find some shelter for the night. Surveying around himself, he began to wonder what he could use to fashion some sort of dwelling that would keep him somewhat safe. After walking for another few minutes, he found a small cluster of trees, bent so strangely that they created the perfect canopy that Chan could, perhaps, safely rest under for the night. He thought it best not to light a fire, even though he was close to freezing but the thought of drawing numerous beasts upon himself was not the greatest feeling in the world.

 

A little flicker of light between the branches caught Chan’s attention, not knowing if it was something welcoming or threatening. He stilled, waiting to see if the light would recede or advance towards him. It was the latter, the small blue luminescence making its way to him at a rather rapid pace, tree branches snapping directly behind it, though Chan could tell the little light wasn’t the cause of that. The Knight recoiled ever so slightly but strangely felt like he had nothing to fear as the the light drew closer and closer.

 

It stopped straight in front of his eyes and continued to gleam as it swayed from side to side. The Knight didn’t know why but he felt drawn to the little blue ball enveloped in a flame so bright but welcoming, a strange sense of nostalgia flowing through his mind. It took him a minute to figure out why he felt such a sense of familiarity from the light but soon realised that he had seen it before. Jeongin had sent one of his little wisps to him to let him know that he had found Minho before they went to find Jisung. The flame flickered every so slightly in the wind as it bounced in front of him but Chan thought it couldn’t be here unless...

 

“Channie hyung!”

  
Chan could say with absolute certainty that he never felt more relieved in his entire life when he heard Jeongin’s voice call out to him and saw the boy rushing through the overgrown branches to get to him, Hyunjin smiling brightly as he followed him to their hyung. Running with all of his might, Jeongin tripped and stumbled upon the natural debris of the trees, Hyunjin helping him up so that they could reach Chan together, the eldest boy already running towards them to meet them halfway.

 

Once they met, both boys fell into Chan’s arms, blubbering slightly after finally finding another one of their members. The Knight placed soft kisses to the crowns of their heads, thanking the deities that they had been allowed to fall within such a close proximity to him. He wondered if it was the same for the others, if they were in the same area but just hadn’t been located by Hyunjin and Jeongin yet. He didn’t want to let the younger boys go as they cried into his chest, he never wanted to let them go again. He was slightly afraid that this was just an illusion created by his mind, it seemed to good to be true that he had found not only one but two of his friends and that they seemed to be completely unharmed.

 

“Hyung, I was so scared. You disappeared. You fell through a portal and I thought...and I thought-” Jeongin’s tears were keeping him from forming full sentences, from conveying the feeling of alleviation in his chest at seeing the older boy again. Chan shushed him, still clinging onto Hyunjin on his left side. He wasn’t alone anymore. Thank god, he wasn’t alone.

 

“Are the two of you alright? Let me look at you.” Chan momentarily pushed the boys away from his embrace to look at their tear stained faces, making sure that neither of them had garnered any injuries, other than the ones that they had endured at the hands of Gyujin. Fortunately, Hyunjin hadn’t been subjected to the torture, too busy helping Seungmin through his own personal nightmare. Jeongin had received a small bump to the back of his head from slamming off of the wall but other than that, he looked to be doing alright. Hearing the youngest boy begin to whimper again at the loss of contact, Chan immediately pulled both of them back in close and gently swayed from side to side, a silent action to let them know that everything would be alright.

 

“Innie, Hyunjinnie, what happened after I fell through? Where are the others?” Chan wasn’t really expecting much of an optimistic answer, just one that let him know that they were still part of this world.

 

“When you dropped through the portal, everyone went dead silent since we weren’t quite sure what had happened. Well, everyone except for Woojinnie hyung. He was yelling, calling out your name, clawing at the ground to try and get you back.” Pushed up against his chest, both Jeongin and Hyunjin could feel the shaky breath that Chan had sucked in upon hearing about the eldest boy’s reaction to him going missing. Woojin had experienced something like that because of him and it made him feel sick.

 

“The building was shaking so violently, I thought we were going to get stuck under it if it collapsed. Hyunjinnie hyung fell through next and then me. I don’t know what happened to most of the others. Do you think that they’re alright, hyung?”

 

“Innie, don’t worry, I’m sure they made it out. If you saw the others fall through, then I’m sure Lix, Seungmin, Changbin, Minho, Jisung, Yukhei and...Woojin fell through as well. They’ll be alright, I’m positive.” He could say the kindest things in the world to the younger boys to try and ease their worries but he knew it was not so easily done, especially since he wasn’t quite sure if he believed his own words.  

 

“How did you guys manage to find me? How did you find each other? Did you wake up together?”

 

“No, we didn’t wake up together. Innie found me by doing the same thing he did to find you, he sent a wisp to send me a message and followed it until it found me. Thank god it worked.” The Alchemist hooked his arm around the youngest boy’s neck as he nuzzled their cheeks together, his affection for the Necromancer being conveyed through his warm smile.

 

“Hyunjinnie hyung was the third person I tried to find, Jisungie hyung was the first and Seungminnie hyung was the second.”

 

Chan stilled. If neither of them were here with them, then did that mean…?

 

“They’re alive, hyung, don’t worry. The same thing happened as last time I tried to find Jisungie hyung. My energy level is too low to travel a great distance, that’s what the wisp complained about again. So, they’re alive but far away.”

 

The Knight couldn’t help but leave out a sigh of relief at the confirmation that both Seungmin and Jisung were still in this world. They had managed to do it, they had saved Jisung but he wasn’t with them and that was causing just as much anxiety to build up inside of Chan. What if he was alone? He had been so badly hurt, what if he was unconscious like he had been in the middle of nowhere? With nobody to help him. Chan didn’t think he would last for very long if he didn’t get some sort of medical treatment but he could do absolutely nothing about it and it was killing him. His boys weren’t beside him, like he needed them to be.

 

“After finding Hyunjinnie hyung, I tried you next and it seemed to have worked for you as well. I haven’t attempted to find the others yet but I don’t know how far I will get with the amount of energy I have. I’m pretty exhausted, hyung.”

 

Not only had Jeongin just sent out wisps to find the two of them, he had also sent them out to let all of them know that he had found Minho the day before and had engaged in battle with Gyujin’s men. The young boy looked downright spent and Chan knew he needed to rest before he collapsed onto the ground. Hyunjin, thinking the same thing, grabbed the Necromancer’s arm and slung it around his shoulder to help support some of his weight.

 

“Innie, you’ve done really well today. Once you lie down for a little bit, you can try to find everyone else. Don’t strain yourself, the others wouldn’t want you to.”

 

Chan let the two boys know of his plan to camp for the night, indicating to Hyunjin where he could lay Jeongin down. The Alchemist pulled out a small sphere from his bag, similar to the one they had used all those weeks ago to keep themselves warm while sleeping outside as the snow nipped at their skin before reaching Aquiria. Placing it beside the youngest boy, it began to seep a calming heat, one that caused Jeongin to nestle into Chan’s lap and fall asleep within a matter of seconds.

 

The boy’s soft, even breaths made both Chan and Hyunjin feel slightly more at ease before a worrying possibility clouded Hyunjin’s senses. Jeongin was going to ask his wisps to find the others but what if they couldn’t? What if the wisp didn’t just complain about the distance like it had with Jisung? What if it didn’t move to convey the message because there was nobody left to give the message to?

 

“Hyunjinnie, I can tell what you’re thinking simply by looking at your face. Don’t assume the worst just yet, alright? They’re all fine, I know it.”

 

“Heh, hyung, as much as I appreciate the sentiment, you don’t know that any of them are fine. Just because we managed to make it out unharmed doesn’t mean that all of the others did. What if we never see them again? What if I never get to tell them how much they mean to me?”

 

“Hyunjinnie, they all know what they mean to you.”

 

“Not everyone does.”

 

“Ah, Seungminnie? You’re afraid about not being able to tell him how you feel about him?”

 

The Alchemist could have denied it, acted like it flustered him when Chan brought up the subject like that, pretended that he hadn’t been referring to Seungmin but he had been and he was scolding himself for never having the courage to tell the Illusionist how much he shaped his entire outlook on life.

 

“Hyung, Innie said that he was alive but what if he’s injured? What if he’s on his own? What if something happens to him? What if someone tries to take him again because we’re not around to protect him? What if-?”

 

Chan couldn’t say that he wasn’t having the exact same thoughts when it came to the others, especially when it came to Woojin but, as per usual, being the oldest, he had to try and ease the anxiety within the younger boy. Pulling him into his side, making sure not to disturb Jeongin asleep in his lap, he allowed Hyunjin’s head to fall upon his shoulder as he grabbed the boy’s hand and made circular motions to try and soothe his troubled heart.

 

“Shh, Hyunjinnie, don’t worry about him. You should know by now that Seungminnie is really strong and I know he’ll be able to look after himself. Maybe he fell through the portal close to someone else, just like we did. We’ll see them again. I have faith in that, so don’t lose hope, ok?”

 

Nodding his head as he was being enveloped of the warmth of Chan’s arms and his own invention, Hyunjin never realised how tired he had become until he felt sleep come for him and snatch him away.

 

Back pressed against a tree as he was protected by the miniature canopy and the boys surrounding him, Chan laughed quietly before speaking to himself. “You should really take your own advice. You’ll see them again, all of them, so don’t lose hope.”

 

* * *

 

A small, wet nudge to his cheek caused Felix’s eyelids to begin to flutter open. Sprawled out flat on the ground, his fingers curled into the dirt before he brought them up to his head to rub away the tension building up within his temple. Staring up to the overcast sky, the boy tried to take in his surroundings before something obscured his vision, something that made his heart fly into his mouth. Standing above him was a Goyogae, the large canine that Felix remembered seeing at one of the performances all those weeks ago in Aquiria. It stood, its glossy fur reflecting the beams of sun managing to break through the thick clouds as it stared back into Felix’s eyes. His chest felt unbelievably tight, the air finding it hard to escape when he began to fall into a panic attack but he soon began to realised the added pressure was because of the extra weight. Eyes momentarily leaving the beast above him, they moved downwards to see Mani gently cocking his head to the side, staring inquisitively back and forth between his master and the other monster looming above both of them.

 

Felix wasn’t quite sure what was going on. The last thing he remembered was Gyujin looking towards them and flying forward against his will. Had he passed out? Not moving his head, he tried to look around himself and saw only miles and miles of open fields. No sign of the others. He was alone and that forced Felix’s breath to hitch even more than it already had before. Why weren’t the others by his side? Where were his friends? What the hell had happened after he had fallen unconscious?

 

Suddenly, the monster above him left out a bark, not at Felix himself but up into the open sky above. Jumping at the noise, Felix’s hands instinctively moved down to grab Mani to try and seize some sort of comfort, a way to tell himself that he wasn’t really alone at all. Why was there a Goyogae hovering above him in the first place? One that looked rather intrigued at the boy and his beast lying on the ground. He wasn’t attacking him like a regular monster would have but why? One of the questions that bothered Felix the most was why Mani was here too. He had been unconscious, he hadn’t summoned the little fox, he couldn’t have but yet here he was nuzzling into his chest as his eyes were locked on the massive canine above them.

 

The Goyogae gently moved down to sniff at Felix shoulders and neck before moving its rough nose to do the same to Mani as Felix held him close. The little fox squeaked before he bumped his nose off of the other beast’s. It seemed strange to Felix that Mani wasn’t attacking the other like he had done to try and protect him within the arena. It appeared that Mani was able to pick up that this particular beast meant no harm to either of them.

 

“Hey, guys! Socio found another one!”

 

Felix felt like he could breathe again once the Goyogae moved away and ran towards the voice that came from someone a few feet away from him. Still grasping tightly to Mani, he sat himself into an upright position and glanced at the small group making their way towards them. The canine that had been hovering over him was now bouncing up to the young man at the front of the troop walking towards him. The man’s ruffled locks became even more tousled as the wind picked up around him and made walking just that bit more difficult. He gently bent down to pet the beast that had now joined him at his side and Felix could only assume that this man also held the class of a Beast Master.

 

“Good boy, Socio. Hey, kid. You alright?”

 

Felix edged backwards a little as Mani let out a soft purr against his chest. It oddly eased the slight fear beginning to creep up on Felix, their bond letting him know that Mani sensed no danger in this situation and needed to let Felix know that he was safe.

 

“Um, yeah, I think so. Thanks.” Felix gingerly grasped the hand being held out to him by the man as he saw another four in the distance coming up to join their friend.

 

“You sure? What are you doing lying in the middle of nowhere like this? Are you hurt?” the man asked, face contorted with worry and skepticism as he grasped Felix’s arms to try and check for injuries.

 

“I don’t think I am. Bit of a headache but other than that, I think I’m ok, thanks.”

 

“Alright, if you’re sure. That’s a cute Chiyeou. You’re a Beast Master too?”

 

“Yeah but not a very good one. Mani is the only beast I can summon. I, uh, have a slight phobia of animals.” Felix couldn’t understand why he was spilling one of his biggest secrets to a stranger he had met about thirty seconds ago but he felt this man was someone that he could trust just by looking at him.

 

“And they gave you the class of Beast Master? Man, that’s twisted but you’ve managed to control something that scares you so much. That’s awfully impressive! This is one of mine, his name is Socio. He has a great nose and managed to find you along with the rest of them.”  

 

“The rest of them?”

 

The man’s face brightened up, looking like he had completely forgotten about his friends now just walking up behind him. “Ah, you’re the third person that we’ve found within the last hour. We were out training and we heard this loud booming sound nearby so we went to investigate. We found this kid lying on the ground and he looked kind of injured so we thought we’d take him back to the village to treat him. On the way back, we saw someone else on the side of the road. He didn’t look as bad but he was still unconscious so we thought we better take him back too and now, you’re the third.”

 

The man nodded his head back towards his friends who were supporting two others on their back, both knocked out and clinging to their shirts. Felix felt like he was about to break down and perhaps one or two tears did slip through when he saw that Woojin and Seungmin were just mere feet away from him, unconscious but relatively unharmed.

 

Seeing the tears spring free from his eyes, the man became even more alarmed, hurrying forward to Felix and asking if he was alright.

 

“They’re my friends. We were separated but looks like we’ve found each other again. Thank you for being kind enough to take them back with you. W-would it be alright if I came along too, just to make sure they’re ok when they wake up? You don’t need to do anything for me, I won’t cause you any trouble, I promise! I can pay you if you want!”

 

“Woah, calm down. Of course you can come along, you seem like a decent kid and you look like you could use a hot meal. Come on, let’s go. Ah, I never even asked you your name.”

 

They began to walk ahead of the others, the blond man pushing his glasses back up his nose, not bothering to introduce his friends as they made their way towards the path.

 

“I’m Felix and those who your friends are carrying are Seungmin and Woojin hyung. I’m part of a bigger group but I don’t know where the everyone else is. Hopefully we’ll find them along the way like you did with the others.” Felix couldn’t help but worry about his missing members, not knowing if they were alright, not knowing where they were or how to get to them.

 

“Well, Felix, it’s very nice to meet you. My name’s Jae and these are my friends, Sungjin, Wonpil, Dowoon and Brian-”

 

“Jae hyung, I swear to god!”

 

“Sorry, sorry, he doesn’t like being called that, even though that’s his name! I don’t understand why he gets so pissy about it. He goes by Younghyun or Young K more often than not.” Pointing to each of the other young men, they nodded slightly with smiles, Sungjin and Dowoon tightening their grips on the boys now settled on their backs.

 

“I somehow get the feeling that there’s a hell of a lot more to your story than you’ve told me so far. How about this? We’ll get you nice and warm and give you something to eat. Dowoon will fix up your friends and make sure that they’re safe. Then, you can tell us all about what happened to you, that sound ok?” 

 

Jae gave the boy a reassuring smile to let him know that he didn’t have to be afraid, especially since he kept eyeing his loyal beast as he kept close to his heel, still wary even though Jae had complete control over the Goyogae. Trying to fill the empty silence with small talk, the young men tried to keep Felix’s mind off of his worries though they knew this would probably not be so easily done. If any of them had been separated from their friends, they would be fretting excessively over their absence too.

 

“That sounds alright but can I ask? Where are we?”

 

“Oh, we’re just outside of Riksha. It’s about a twenty minute walk from here. Why?”

 

They were near Riksha? That couldn’t be. They had just been in Morthan for the tournament so how could they be somewhere on the other side of the world? Somewhere hundreds and hundreds of miles from where he had last been. He thought that he would most definitely have to ask Seungmin and Woojin what the hell had happened after he had been knocked unconscious. Felix felt like it would be a very long explanation indeed.

 

* * *

 

That feeling when you immediately wake up and know that your not in a familiar place is one that Minho had experienced so many times since he never really had a place to call home, in this world or the real one but the atmosphere around him lulled him into a sense of security and warmth and the Tracker wasn’t particularly sure that he liked the feeling. If he was excluding the times he had shared a room with one of the other boys, then he could count on one hand the amount of times he felt comfortable waking up in a strange room.

 

The events of the last time he had been awake came flooding back, realising that his arms were no longer cradling Jisung’s injured form caused unmatched terror to rise up throughout his body as he jolted awake, causing him to wince at his own sore body. Looking around the dainty room’s sparse interior, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in the time that he had been asleep. The crackling of the diminishing fire was the only thing that hit Minho’s ears as he tried to activate his Third Eye and check for any sources of life inside the house that he was currently situated in. He swayed, overcome by a feeling of dizziness as his body screamed at him not to attempt that again when he held such a pathetic amount of energy within his body. He eyed his belongings on the table on the far side of the room, his Katana leaning against the headboard of the bed beside him as he reached out to grab it. Thinking that he couldn’t sit here any longer, the Tracker began to swing his legs out of his bed before the door to his room gently swung open to reveal a young man carrying a tray of food, its aroma reaching Minho instantly and making his stomach grumble. However, being the apprehensive person that he was, the Tracker immediately unsheathed his sword, aiming it right at the other, who stopped and jumped a little at the sight of a weapon being drawn on him. Setting the tray down on the desk, the man raised his arms in a forced surrender.

 

“Woah there, you’re ok. I’m not gonna harm you, I just-”

 

The man took a step further towards Minho still in the bed, making the younger boy raise his Katana towards the man’s throat, adding fuel to the fire in the Tracker’s eyes. “Stay the fuck away from me. Don’t take one more step or I will slice your head right off.”

 

“Alrighty then, maybe I should go and get your friend, huh? I’m just gonna slowly back out of the room, with my head still firmly placed on my shoulders.”

 

Once the man had left the room, Minho hurriedly jumped out of the bed to grab his belongings. He didn’t know who that guy was, he had never seen him before and regardless of the fact that he had been placed in a warm, comfortable bed and was about to be fed with what looked to be a delicious meal indeed, he needed to get out of here and find the others, to find Jisung. Only when he bent down to get his shoes did his whole body erupt into painful spasms. He had come to the conclusion that he hadn’t been healed just yet after what Gyujin had done to him but that was the last thing that his mind should be preoccupied with right now. Barely slipping his trainers on, the door opened once again to reveal the same lilac haired man that had previously been in the room with him. Raising his Katana immediately, the man sighed in obvious exasperation before sidestepping to reveal another behind him.

 

The clatter of the Tracker’s sword echoed throughout the silent room when it fell to the floor as he felt tears of contentment beginning to well up in his eyes at the sight of one of his friends looking just as relieved as he was.

 

“Changbinnie?”

 

The Medic didn’t get to reply before Minho was at his side, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy and sighing onto his shoulder. The Tracker felt all the more at ease when he felt Changbin’s arms fall securely around his waist, returning the urgent but soft embrace.

 

“You finally decided to wake up, huh, hyung?” Changbin gently rubbed tiny circles into his back since he knew how Minho must be feeling after everything he had just been through along with the rest of them.

 

At a small cough left go by the man standing in the doorway caused Minho to raise his head but not let go of Changbin as he stared at the other.

 

“I feel like I’m interrupting but Changbin, could you let this guy know that I’m not out to kill you? I think he’s going to pounce on me the next chance that he gets.”

 

“Sure thing. Minho hyung, this is the guy who found us when we fell through the portal. He saved us, we luckily fell just outside his house and he took the four of us in without question after I told him about everything that happened to us. His name is Namjoon-ssi and he lives here with the other members of his group. So, like he said, he’s not going to kill us, from what I can tell anyways.” Changbin flashed a cheeky smile towards Namjoon, making the older man grimace at the thought that his explanation wasn’t very convincing and that Minho might actually come after him in the end.

 

Minho nodded, albeit skeptically, his brow crinkling in confusion at Changbin’s words. “Four of us? Someone else landed with us?”

 

“Yukhei did but he already left. He saw that you were alright and wanted to try and get back to his group of friends before they started to worry about him since he told them he would be waiting in Morthan for them when they got back from their mission. We landed pretty far away. Namjoon-ssi tells me that we’re in Ourlo, that’s a couple of hundred miles from Morthan as far as I’m aware, so, Yukhei said he would get a head start.” Still leaning into the hug, Minho nodded at Changbin’s explanation, internally thanking the over energetic Assassin for all of his help and coming along when Minho needed himi the most.  

 

“He also told me to tell you that he’d see you again and he was glad that he came along to help you. I also asked if he would try and locate Jaebum hyung and the others to give them a message about what happened. Thought I at least owed them that much after leaving them behind like that. I tried to pay Yukhei but he shrugged me off saying that since he was heading that way anyways, it wasn’t putting him out of his way. So, that was that.”

 

Minho couldn’t help but think about how much Yukhei had changed since the last time he had seen him. He thought that maybe it was because of these new friends of his, since that was basically what had happened to Minho himself. It was truly amazing how some people could change your entire personality just by being around you.

 

“Changbinnie, you said four of us. There was another who fell through?”

 

“How could Jisungie not have fallen through with you when you were still holding onto his hand after coming through the portal? That what Jin-ssi said happened anyways, another member of Namjoon-ssi’s group. He said it was cute the way you held onto him even after something like that.”

 

Minho finally let go of Changbin and grabbed onto his forearms with the utmost urgency. “Jisung is here?! You couldn’t have started off the conversation with that?! Is he ok? Is he awake? He’s still alive, right? Where is he? Can I see him? Changbin?!”

 

The Medic let the older boy get his ramblings out of the way, allowing him to calm himself before answering in a rather sombre tone. “Jisungie is alive, hyung. He’s sleeping in the next room but he hasn’t woken up yet. He was injured so severely that I’ve been trying to heal him all night and even another of Namjoon’s group was helping me. Jimin-ssi is a healer too but we still haven’t gotten him to an acceptable standard yet.”

 

“But he will, right?”

 

“What?”

 

“Jisung will wake up, right? He wasn’t injured so badly that…?”

 

Changbin got the jist of what Minho had been asking but couldn’t confidently answer in a positive manner. “To be honest, hyung, I can’t say anything for sure. I’m doing what I can but I really don’t know.”

 

Admonishing himself for not getting to Jisung sooner, Minho let out a rattled breath before asking Changbin to bring him to see the Thief. He was going to stay by Jisung’s side until he woke up and he wasn’t going to move, that’s what he told himself. Glancing towards Namjoon in the doorway, the older man smiled sympathetically and Minho began to wonder how much Changbin had let him in on about their situation.

 

The house emitted a welcoming feel that made Minho relax ever so slightly as he walked down the dimly lit hallway. Passing an open window, the Tracker could see that it was still dark outside, the sun not peeking up just yet. During their infiltration, the sun had just been falling beyond the horizon as they made their way into Gyujin’s hideout, so Minho thought that not much time must have passed in the time that he had been asleep. At least, he hoped that he had only slept for one night and not carried on to the next day.

 

Pushing the large, wooden door open, Changbin moved out of the way to let Minho into the room. The sparks fluttered from the fireplace and lit up the area well enough for the boy to make out Jisung’s form huddled under the pile of blankets that Changbin had more than likely placed on top of him. He silently made his way over to the bed, as if his footsteps would be enough to disturb the sleeping boy but if he was going by what Changbin had already told him, he didn’t need to worry about that. Grabbing a stool from the corner of the room, Minho settled himself upon it before grabbing onto Jisung’s hand, already beginning to stroke it gently. Looking to the Thief, the older boy could see what Changbin had meant about not yet having him healed to an acceptable standard. Most of the lacerations around his face had disappeared, the superficial injuries vanishing from sight but Jisung’s complexion, his overall physique was not what it usually was. The remnants of the electrocution, the dark rings around his eyes, the blisters on his skin were still present as Minho bit his lip in anger when he saw them. He knew there was nobody left to get angry at, Gyujin already gone and crushed under the weight of the collapsed building but the feeling of rage wouldn’t dissipate.

 

Hearing another chair slide in beside him, he acknowledged Changbin’s presence but didn’t look at the Medic, keeping his eyes on Jisung and watching his chest rise and fall with his shallow breaths.

 

“What changed?”

 

Minho somehow managed to tear his gaze away from Jisung to meet Changbin’s eye as he asked the older boy the question.

 

“What?”

 

“What changed? You joined us to find Gyujin and get his bounty. Jisung was the link that you needed but something obviously changed since you told Yukhei you were no longer interested in his bounty and just wanted to get Jisung home safe. That’s a big difference in priorities and I was just wondering, what happened?”

 

Minho could go into a deep, convoluted explanation about everything that had moved within him but the easiest mouthful of words he could string together came to him instead.

 

“You guys happened. Simple as that. Everything that you guys are, everything that you stand for, it made me realise the kind of awful person that I was and how if I kept on acting that way, there was no way I deserved to be around the likes of you. So, you changed me and in a really good way. It doesn’t excuse what I’ve done in the past or the reason that I came to join you in the first place but I’m trying, Changbin, I really am and I’m truly hoping that in the end, you guys may be able to see that.”

 

Changbin wasn’t blind, he could see it, that Minho had been trying, that he was changing and after everything he had gone through to get to Jisung, he knew that he was no longer, in any way, lying to them. He saw Minho for who he truly was, a scared young man in way over his head, trying not to rely on anyone or anything so that he didn’t grow attached and get hurt.

 

“Hyung, I’m gonna go lie down for a while. I need to recharge my energy before I can heal any more of Jisung’s injuries. I didn’t want to leave him on his own but now that you’re here, would it be alright if I trusted you to watch over him instead?” It had been a question on Changbin’s part but he knew he didn’t really need to ask the other if he would keep an eye on Jisung. That was Minho’s job, always had been and the Medic knew that the older boy wouldn’t let him down in that regard.

 

“I’m never leaving him again, not for anything. I’ll stay by his side, Changbinnie, you can count on that.” The Tracker’s eyes were fixed on Jisung once again, his stare placed upon him even when Changbin bid him goodnight and threw a small smile towards the two boys, going unnoticed by both.

 

The four of them had made it out alive. He was eternally thankful for that small miracle but wondered if he was allowed another wish or two. Clasping his hands together, he prayed that the other members of his group were safe, even if they weren’t together. That, by some little wonderous happening, they had all made it out to somewhere else in the world. He thought of Felix, how they had just managed to tell each other how they felt but now, they had been ripped away form each other and the thought of never seeing the smile of the freckled boy again caused his heart to shatter ever so slightly. He needed to see him again, needed to put his arms around him and let him know that he would always be there for him, if a miracle would allow it. Lastly, he pleaded for Jisung to wake up. He didn’t need to wake up soon, he just needed to wake up. With the injuries he had sustained, his body was protecting him by keeping him in a deep state of sleep but Changbin didn’t know if he could recover from something like this, not physically but mentally. He had been through so much during his time in Phantasm, a lot of which they had not been aware of up until recently and after what he had just endured at the hands of his brother, the Medic wondered if the boy’s mind would ever allow him to wake and come back from something like that. Bowing towards Namjoon as he passed him in the hallway, Changbin slipped off his shoes before climbing into the bed that the man had so kindly allowed him to use. His prayers circled his mind, never ceasing until Changbin was pulled away to the land of dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think some people may be starting to realise that I'm multifandom....more idols to make their appearance!


	29. That's what true love is. Always wanting what's best for someone, even if that doesn't include you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onto another week. Here's what some of you were looking for: Jisungie's fate. Just...prepare yourselves, alright? Here we go!

Changbin awoke to a knock on his door. Looking back, he had experienced a bit of trouble while trying to fall asleep. He thought of Minho and Jisung and how the elder still grasped on tightly to the sleeping boy’s hand as Changbin had left the room. He thought about the other members of his group and if they were safe, if they were together. As always, in the end, his mind couldn’t seem to help but drift towards Felix. In a constant battle with his thoughts, they wouldn’t seem to let him give in to the rest that he so desperately craved; it wasn’t because he was completely drained, which he was but because he needed a break from the worry pooling in his chest. If his other members were still alive, and god, he prayed that they were, they would want to gather again, to become one as they were so used to being. He knew that they were hundreds of miles away from where they started in Morthan but wondered if that was the place that the others in the group would automatically think of going back to when they were separated like this. The only others in the group that he had ever discussed the thought with were Jisung and Woojin. They had decided that if any of them were to become isolated from each other, then they were to meet up back at Haknal, just because that is where they had decided was the safest place. Joomi had allowed them to make her inn their haven, somewhere that they knew they would always be welcome so, once Jisung was healed and recovered, that’s where he was going to try and head next.

 

 _If_ Jisung recovered.

 

Changbin vehemently shook his head to dispose of those unwanted thoughts. Glancing at the sun peaking over the hills in the distance, Changbin surmised that he had only been asleep a couple of hours but was now being told to get up by the second knock that came on the door. Relinquishing the duvet that had kept him toasty as he slept, his feet met with the raw bitterness of the room, causing his toes to curl. Grabbing the brass doorknob, he carefully pulled the door open to reveal Namjoon standing on the other side of it, harbouring a slightly exasperated expression. The radiant smile that was usually set upon the man’s face was nowhere in sight and that caused Changbin to go into overdrive the moment he noticed this. He had known the man for less than twenty four hours but he knew that something was wrong.

 

“Namjoon-ssi. What? What is it? Is everything alright? Is it Jisungie? Did something happen?”

 

Seeing Changbin already beginning to bolt down the hall towards his friend, Namjoon quickly held up his hands to show the Medic that the problem wasn’t what he had been dreading. “Jisung is still unconscious but he’s doing as well as he was a couple of hours ago. However, Jimin thought that he could try healing him again since he got a couple hours of sleep but…”

 

The uneasiness in Changbin’s chest eased slightly when he heard that Jisung wasn’t the problem that caused the older man’s face to scrunch up like he was ready to go on a full rampage about his thoughts.

 

“But?”

 

“Man, that other guy from your group is a real nightmare! He won’t even let us into the room, let alone anywhere near Jisung! Jimin can’t heal him anymore because he’s locked the door from the inside. I didn’t want to wake you since you looked utterly exhausted when I last saw you but can you try and talk some sense into him? We just want to help Jisung as much as you guys do. We’re not going to hurt him.”

 

Changbin couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at the problem he was being presented with. He really should have seen this coming. It was always obvious that Minho was protective of the younger boy and they all knew why at this stage but now that he had reunited with all of them, the Tracker said that he wouldn’t leave Jisung again, not for anything. This more than likely meant that he would not be letting anything or anyone near the younger boy if he saw them as a threat or someone he didn’t completely trust and Namjoon and his members just happened to fall under that category at the moment.

 

“Uh, yeah, I’ll talk to him. Jimin-ssi really helped me get Jisungie into a stable condition last night, I know you guys wouldn’t mean him any harm. I’ll see what I can do.”

 

As they walked down the hallway, that seemed much longer to Changbin than it had the previous night, Namjoon tried to abate the uncertainty that he knew was riddling the younger boy’s mind. They discussed how a couple of his members were out on a mission together right now, how Jimin basically had to tell the two youngest members of their group all about Changbin and what happened to them since Namjoon had forbidden them to enter the room, thinking that their bubbly personalities were not what was needed in that moment and how Jin had promised Namjoon that he would be sleeping on the couch if he didn’t do everything in his power to help the younger group of boys in their time of need.

 

Once they reached the wooden door of the room that he had left Jisung and Minho in earlier, he tried to turn the doorknob, which was indeed locked, just as Namjoon had said.

 

“See? I tried asking him to open up but he- well, let’s just say he used a plethora of profane phrases. I thought it best to ask you to do the honours instead.”

 

With that thought in mind, Changbin tapped lightly on the door and thought that maybe Minho had fallen asleep but when he knocked again, harder this time, he heard the screech of a chair leg followed by a small growl, which he could only assume came from the older boy.

 

“I’m not opening the door for you, so can you piss off already?”  

 

“Did he forget that this is my god damn house?”

 

Changbin inhaled deeply, trying to stifle a laugh at Namjoon’s annoyed stare as he gestured towards the door with his hand as if to say, ‘See? I told you so.’

 

“Hyung, can you open up for me, please? I want to check on Jisungie’s condition.” A few seconds ticked by and the Medic began to think that Minho had become so protective over the sleeping boy that he wasn’t even going to let him in but the light footsteps that patted across the floor a few moments after let him know that he had nothing to fear. Cracking the door open ever so slightly, Minho peeked one eye through the slit, as if to make sure he wasn’t being tricked in his sleep deprived state.  

 

The Tracker’s stare was only on Changbin for a moment before it flew to Namjoon, eyes squinting to show the older man that he was in no way in his good books just yet. Namjoon raised his hands in defeat, realising that he wouldn’t be getting into the room with the injured boy anytime soon. Glancing at Changbin, he gave a small nod to let him know that he would just be down the hall with Jimin if the Medic did manage to convince Minho that they were friend and not foe. Once he had disappeared beyond a door at the end of a hallway, Minho opened the door to allow Changbin before quickly closing it and locking it tight again.

 

“Hyung, you don’t have to be so suspicious of Namjoon-ssi and the others, they helped us out when we came through the portal. I trust them.”

 

“I can’t allow myself to trust anyone else right now, Changbin.”

 

The Medic knew that it would take time for Minho’s trust to regain what it had lost in the last couple of days. He knew that deep down inside, the older boy probably wanted to trust Namjoon and the others since he knew that he had allowed them to stay there without asking anything in return but Jisung came first in his eyes and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure nothing would ever harm him again.  

 

Throwing a worried look towards the older boy, Changbin gently pushed away his bangs and placed the back of his hand against Minho’s forehead. The elder didn’t move away, closing his eyes as the coolness of the Medic’s hand spread across his face and eased the burning sensation flowing throughout his head.

 

“Hyung, you have a fever. Gyujin did quite a number on you too. Hang on, I’ll help you out.”

 

“No, look after Jisung first. I’m ok, it isn’t going to kill me. Take care of him before anything else.”

 

Minho took his place at the boy’s bedside again, holding onto the hand that Changbin thought he probably hadn’t left go of since he had previously left the room, perhaps only to keep the fire burning bright as it kept Jisung comfortable.

 

“Changbin, what do I do if he doesn’t wake up?”

 

He could have acted surprised and quickly shouted comforting replies such as ‘don’t be ridiculous, of course he will’ but that had been one of the thoughts that had attacked Chanbin earlier in the night as he watched over Jisung and waited for Minho to wake from his slumber. What would they do if Jisung didn’t come out of this? He couldn’t answer that because he didn’t want to think about it being a possibility; that was the way he was dealing with a lot of questions that were coming to him lately. No responses came as he knew that none of them would be able to continue on as they were before if Jisung was not at their side.

 

“What do you think he would want you to do, hyung?”

 

“After what I did to him, I don’t really know.”

 

Hanging his head in his hands, Minho felt Changbin fall beside him, gently running his hands through the elder’s damp hair, sweat from his raised temperature beginning to douse his body.

 

“Changbin, I should have been there to help you guys.”

 

“Man, stop being such a whiny baby!”

 

Minho slowly turned his head to look at the Medic with a gobsmacked expression, not sure whether or not the fever claiming his body had caused him to start having auditory hallucinations. Upon seeing Changbin with his jaw locked and stern stare placed upon him, he realised that he had indeed heard the younger boy call him a whiny baby.

 

“Wait, I’m gonna get this right, let me get into Jisung’s frame of mind.” Inhaling deeply through his nose, Changbin cleared his throat, straightening himself and placing his hands on his hips, similarly to how Jisung would do when trying to be serious.

 

“Hyung, you’ve got to stop blaming yourself for this. You made a mistake but that mistake didn’t have anything to do with what that bastard did to Jisung. I honestly don’t think that it would have mattered if you had been with us or not and we will never know anyways, so you might as well quit bitching about the situation and just move on! Jisung will be fine and so will you. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and complaining about this, ok?!”

 

Changbin flopped down onto the seat beside Minho, the elder boy’s eyes still blown wide at his little dramatic performance of trying to imitate what he thought Jisung would say to him if he were awake.

 

“Are you sure that was you trying to take off Jisung or was that really just what you wanted to say to me? You think I’m whiny?”

 

Changbin sunk even further into the chair, trying to hide his embarrassed cheeks, though he ensured Minho it was just due to the heat of the room. “I think it’s what both of us would want to say to you, hyung. Seriously, no more torturing yourself over what happened. It’s done, we can’t change it. We just need to wait for Jisungie to wake up and move on from there.”

 

Minho nodded, thankful for the Medic’s, slightly insulting, words but ones that managed to draw a little smile on his face all the same. Hearing a small thump on the door, Minho was about to go rogue and tell whoever was there to get lost but he knew that Changbin wouldn’t be too happy with him if he did that again. When the noise came a second time, Minho thought to himself that it didn’t sound like a knock but rather a dull object hitting off the door. Standing to investigate, the Tracker gave one last unsure look towards Changbin who was also beginning to rise off of his chair, instinctively moving in front of Jisung to protect him if needed.

 

Turning the handle, Minho cautiously gazed into the now slightly lit hallway, the sun slowly raising itself into the sky. Nothing was there nor was anyone else but there had definitely been a noise, seeing as Changbin had reacted to it too. Beginning to close the door again, Minho was suddenly stopped in his tracks as a light flew towards his eyes, nearly knocking him to the ground in surprise as it bolted straight past him and to Jisung’s side.

 

Changbin quickly moved forward to hold Minho up, gasping in unison as they realised what the cause of the elder boy’s shock had been. The little wisp swayed from side to side before settling on the bedside table beside the boy, not relaying its message since its recipient would be unable to hear it.

 

Rushing to follow the wisp, both boys were nearly knocked over once again as another blue orb popped up in front of Minho’s eyes, shifting its hue to blazing orange and allowing a soft voice to flow from its flame.

 

_“Minho hyung? I really hope that this wisp manages to find you…”_

 

“Innie!”

 

* * *

 

“Innie, you really shouldn’t do this.”

 

Vehemently protesting against Chan’s advice obviously wasn’t getting Jeongin anywhere, so he ignored the older boy and turned around to face Hyunjin instead. He knew the Knight wouldn’t be too happy with him having completely disregarded his worried words but he wasn’t what was important right now. He was going to find his other members no matter what.

 

“Channie hyung, I don’t think he’s going to listen to you. He’s been hanging around with Minnie for far too long, he seems to have gained a stubborn streak too.” Grinning at the younger boy, Hyunjin tried to let him know that he was on his side and if he wanted to try and send more than one wisp out to try and find the other boys, then he would help him in any way that he could.

 

Jeongin had attempted and succeeded to send out more than one wisp at a time before to convey a message, the trick becoming exceedingly handy when he had located Minho and needed to let the others know of their plan. He had sent out six wisps and that had taken quite a toll on his small body but the boys had been in such a close proximity to him that it wasn’t the distance that sapped his energy but the amount of them that he had sent out. This time, it was different. After asking the wisps to find all of his members, he was met with hushed whispers from the ghost to let him know that they were quite a distance away but all still alive, something that nearly made Chan collapse to the ground when he heard the reassuring and most welcomed news. However, the distance let Jeongin know that he would have to continuously lend energy to the wisps in order for them to get where they needed to go. He wanted to find all the others as quickly as possible but there was no way he could send out seven wisps all at once without passing out within maybe twenty or thirty minutes at the level he was at. However, he was going to try and send out three, much to Chan’s annoyance. The older boy thought that he should focus on one, afraid that Jeongin would overdo it and harm himself but the Necromancer had made his mind up and not even Chan could change it now.

 

“Innie, just send out one and when it comes back you can-”

 

“I’m sending at least three out, hyung, so that we can find them faster. Maybe they got lucky like us and found others. Sorry but I’ve made up my mind.”

 

Chan huffed, irritated that the slightly powerful influence he usually held as one of the older members was being overlooked by the younger boys. Twiddling his thumbs as Jeongin prepared himself to send out his spirits, Chan couldn’t help the tiny smile that made its way to his lips after thinking about the fact that since Jeongin’s little spirits only complained about the distance again, that meant that all of his boys were still alive, all still within this world with him.

 

“Ok, I want to send one to Jisungie hyung since we need to know if he’s alright. I know he’s alive but he was so badly injured that-that I want to know that he’s being looked after.” The Necromancer’s breath hitched as it became obvious his mind had floated back to seeing Jisung’s broken form.

 

“I think we should send one to Minho hyung too since he seemed really badly hurt as well. He was still holding onto Jisungie hyung when I fell through the portal. Maybe they fell closely to each other?”

 

Hyunjin nodded as he grasped his chin between his fingers, agreeing with Jeongin’s understandable logic but then the question came about who to send the final wisp to. Chan fidgeted subtly, wanting to ask if he could send it to Woojin, to let him know that he was alright, that there was no need to fret over him. Hyunjin and Jeongin had told him he had been beside himself with worry after Chan had been the first one to fall through the portal. However, he knew that it would be selfish of him to ask that when the other members of the group were out there too, probably just as terrified and concerned for the wellbeing of the others as they were.

 

“Channie hyung, do you want me to send it to Woojinnie hyung?”

 

Snapping his head up to look at Jeongin, Chan tried to protest, no words coming out, his heart betraying his head as it attempted to tell him to find the others first.

 

“Hyung, it’s alright. We know that all of them are alive but they don’t know that we are. Both of us could see how distraught Woojinnie hyung was when you disappeared, so if you want to let him know that you’re alright, then that’s ok.”

 

Tears welling up in his eyes, Chan willed them away, just too moved by the younger boys’ selflessness in allowing him this small moment. “I-I would really like that. I’m sorry.”

 

“Hyung, what are you sorry for? Really, it’s alright. Would you like to record the message for him yourself? I’ll do it for Minho hyung and Hyunjin hyung can do it for Jisungie hyung so we can send them out as fast as possible.”

 

Agreeing with the boy’s plan, Chan and Hyunjin held out their hands, allowing the little wisps that the youngest boy had conjured up to bounce into their palms. They dispersed a little so that their voices wouldn’t be too loud as the others recorded their messages.

 

Grasping onto the little light, Chan inhaled deeply, trying to think of everything that he could say to the other boy, to let him know that they would see each other again soon. Turning to give Jeongin the signal to begin the recording, Chan smiled as the little wisp blazed orange, an indication for him to begin speaking.

 

“Hi, Woojinnie…”

 

* * *

 

The sounds of Felix’s screams made Woojin jolt upright as he searched around him for the boy in question. He didn’t think it was too much of an adverse reaction when the last time he had been awake, Minho and Jisung had been badly beaten, Chan was on the ground in front of him begging him to make the pain stop, Seungmin looked like he was suffocating as he was held in Hyunjin’s arms while Changbin and Jeongin were beginning to come to after being hurled towards the walls of the building, Felix remaining unconscious. However, the boy was nowhere in sight and Woojin was definitely not still in the warehouse he had been in with his members when they had gone to rescue Jisung. He was situated in a bed that was a little too soft for his liking, curving a bit too much under his weight. Definitely not the bed he had been sleeping in back in Morthan.

 

Drawing his legs out of the bed, he placed them on the heated floor before he glanced around the room and noticed another in the bed across from him. Seungmin breathed softly as the blankets matched the slight rhythm of his chest. He had seen him fall through the portal and was so thankful that he was alright. He moved over to the boy and swept a few loose strands of hair out of his eyes, noticing a couple of bandages on his face and raised his hands to his own face to find some on his own head too, not remembering exactly how they got there.

 

Another of Felix’s screams broke through to his ears and snapped him out of the momentary calm that had enveloped him after seeing that Seungmin was safe. Bolting towards the door, Woojin opened it in one fluid motion until he was met with a ecstatically laughing Felix, twirling his finger as Mani danced around in circles. Beside him was a blonde man, much taller than the boy and someone Woojin was sure he had never seen before. What made him even more curious was that the man was controlling a Goyogae in the exact same way that Felix was controlling Mani, both beast’s dancing around to no particular tune. It didn’t seem to bother Felix that there was another beast not under his control within such a close proximity to him, rather he looked entranced by the monster. Leaving a small cough go, Woojin met with Felix’s eyes, the boy’s smile looking like it could light up a thousand cities.

 

“Hyung! You’re alright!” The boy ran forward, forgetting about Mani who looked on curiously as Felix ran straight into Woojin’s arms. The Bard relished in the warmth of the embrace, squeezing Felix with a gentle hold, making sure that the other wasn’t simply an illusion.

 

Not letting go of the other, Woojin glanced at the man staring at both of them with a fond smile, gently patting his Goyogae’s head beside him. He nodded towards the Bard in a simple greeting, letting him know he would properly introduce himself when Felix was satisfied with the length of his hug.

 

“Hyung, what happened? I don’t remember anything after we found Jisungie. Where are the others?”

 

Woojin was about to launch into his explanation of the events that occurred in the collapsing warehouse before Felix piped up again.

 

“Oh, wait! Before you tell me anything, we got a message from Innie! That means he’s ok, right? I think the message is either for you or Seungminnie since it didn’t react to me when I held it. Hold on, I want to hear what it says, I’ll try and wake Seungminnie up and we can check who it’s for!”

 

Running at a steady speed, Felix disappeared beyond the door that Woojin had just emerged from. Woojin sighed, it seemed that Felix was alright, that he wasn’t harmed in any way but the positivity that came from him was only because he hadn’t known what had happened after he had fallen unconscious. His friends had been taken away from him and he had no idea if any of them were alive. The only clue they had so far was the little wisp that remained sitting on the table at the far end of the room.

 

“Um, hi there.”

 

Woojin had momentarily forgotten about the other man in the room, jumping slightly when his voice disrupted his thoughts. “Oh, hello. Sorry, Felix is a little excitable sometimes.”

 

“That’s quite alright. Believe me, I’m used to noise. My family excels in that particular area. He’s been no trouble at all. It’s been nice to have another Beast Master around too, especially a kid as incredibly powerful as him.”

 

The Bard stood for a moment, not sure if he had heard the other man correctly. “Felix? Really?”

 

“Oh yeah, when we found him, he was just waking up but his Chiyeou had already been sitting on his chest before he regained consciousness. I’m more than a little bit confused about that. Have you ever heard of a Beast Master that can call their beasts without a summoning chant? Because I haven’t, yet his little beast was already there, ready to protect him. I don’t quite understand how that happened, I didn’t even know it was possible! He told me that he only learned to summon monsters a couple of days ago. Maybe you guys don’t know this but it takes Beast Masters quite a while to fall into a rhythm where they’re comfortable enough to be able to summon beasts, it took me a couple of weeks from when I began to try but Felix said he did it within a couple of days? I don’t think he really realises how powerful he is. If he could conquer his phobia, I think he could do great things with his class. ”

 

A hundred thoughts raced through Woojin’s mind as he listened to the stranger’s explanation of Felix’s strength, though it seemed the boy didn’t quite realise the power he held within himself. Thinking it awfully rude of himself, Woojin quickly held his hand out for the other, realising he had forgotten to introduce himself to the man who had allowed them to use their home as a refuge.

 

“So, Woojin, Felix told me more or less about what happened to you guys. Well, up until what he can remember anyways. Did you guys really go up against Gyujin? Like _the_ Gyujin? Guy sounds like a complete and utter psychopath from the stories I’ve heard. You were lucky to get out with your lives!”

 

That was just the problem, Woojin didn’t know if all of them _had_ managed to make it out with their lives. Watching everyone being ripped away from him, sitting by idly as Chan fell through the floor, the images caused him to feel like he was going to be sick. He willed it away when he heard footsteps behind him, looking around to watch Felix guide a very disorientated Seungmin from the bedroom in which he had been sleeping earlier.

 

“Seungminnie, are you alright?”

 

“Where’s Jinnie?”

 

Despite the circumstance, Woojin allowed himself a small laugh at Seungmin’s sleepy consciousness searching for the Alchemist when he was not by his side like he usually was.

 

“Wait, where’s everyone else?” Finally rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes, Seungmin became increasingly more alarmed when the memories of their recent rescue mission came back to him.

 

Seeing the raw fear in the other’s features, Woojin hurried forward and pulled him into a reassuring hug, guiding Felix to fall into the embrace as well. The eldest boy realised that he wasn’t quite sure how to answer Seungmin’s questions. He didn’t know where Hyunjin was, he didn’t know where any of them were but perhaps if they listened to Jeongin’s message, it may answer some of their queries.

 

“I’m not sure yet, Seungminnie but Innie sent us a message and it may be able to shed some light on the situation. Come on, we’ll listen to it and then we can talk about everything that happened afterwards.”

 

With a gentle nod, Jae left the room to give the boys some privacy in listening to their younger member’s message to them. Advancing towards the little ghost, the flames became brighter, obviously reacting to whoever it was that the message was meant for. It immediately flew to Woojin, the boy edging backwards slightly so that they wisp wouldn’t come into contact with his face, even though he knew that the flames wouldn’t harm him since Jeongin was controlling it from wherever he was. Burning orange, a soft, familiar voice floated towards the boys.

 

_“Hi, Woojinnie…”_

 

The Bard was pretty sure that Chan’s voice had made his legs forget how to keep himself in a standing position as they immediately gave out and he fell to the floor, Seungmin and Felix automatically bending down beside him to make sure he hadn’t harmed himself in the fall.

 

“Channie, he’s ok…”

 

_“Innie is letting me record a message for you but I promised him that I would keep it short. I don’t want him tiring himself out. Anyways, I wanted to let you know that I’m safe and that Innie and Hyunjinnie are with me.”_

 

Hearing a relieved sigh from his left side, the Bard was sure that Seungmin was more than a little bit thankful that both Hyunjin and Jeongin were safe with Chan; he knew that he would have nothing to fear if the three of them were together. On his right side, however, while he was sure that Felix was glad that they were safe, he knew that the other was agonising over not hearing any of the others names, especially the Medic which he had recently confessed his feelings to, not that any of the others knew about that just yet.

 

 _“The others aren't here with us but Innie has assured me that they are alive, that’s what his wisps told him.”_ That allowed Felix to breathe again, all of them letting out a relieved sigh as they held onto each others’ hands to hear the rest of the message.

 

_“We’re sending two more out to Jisungie and Minho to see if we can find them too. I won’t let Innie send out any more because I’m afraid he’ll do damage to himself in expending too much energy, even if we all want to find the others. Please let someone else be by your side, let some of our boys be safe with you. I know you would look after them. Um, what else? Ah, probably the most important piece of information. Jeez, Chan, why are you such an idiot?”_

 

Woojin fought through the tears to laugh at the other scolding himself in the middle of what was obviously supposed to be a very serious message, Felix and Seungmin joining in on the slight laughter.

 

_“We’re thinking of heading back to Haknal to regroup. I don’t know if you and the others ever had a plan with regards to what to do if you were separated but we thought that Haknal would be a good place to go to. So, if you can, go straight there. We’ll try to do that as well. When you respond, we’ll send you out another wisp to let you know if the others have sent a message back too. First, we’ll try to send ones to Seungminnie, Changbinnie, Lix and Yukhei but I’m worried about what it will do to Jeongin if he pushes himself too far too fast. It may take a while for the next message but it will come. Don’t worry. This message has probably gone on for too long already but I think I’ve told you everything I need to. I’m safe, love and I hope that you are too. Don’t cry too much, I can guess you are already after hearing my little speech but we’ll see each other really soon and I’ll be by your side again. I love you, Woojinnie. Bye…”_

 

And with that the wisp settled back down onto the table, the boys felt a sense of overwhelming happiness to know that all of their friends, their family were still alive though they were still separated, which bothered Woojin but he knew that Chan would keep Hyunjin and Jeongin safe, just as he would look after Felix and Seungmin.

 

“I know you two will want to get going as quickly as possible but I think we should wait a day or two until we have gathered enough energy to make our way back to Haknal. It could take nearly a week or more to get back but we’ll manage to do it if we rest a little more. I don’t know if Jae and his family would mind but we can pay him back in some way. Is that alright with the two of you?”

 

Felix and Seungmin nodded their heads with satisfaction, already feeling sleepy again after the tension of not knowing if their members were still alive suddenly leaving their bodies. They had managed to make it out alive once again and Woojin thought that perhaps there was something helping them out just a little bit. They couldn’t possibly be this lucky, could they?

 

Felix ran into the adjoining room to let Jae know that the three of them were going to rest for a little bit and that they would all join them a little later to get properly introduced. Now, they just wanted to snuggle together in the double bed that Seungmin had been sleeping in earlier. They just wanted to feel each other’s warmth, to know that they weren’t alone in this foreign environment.

 

* * *

 

After Changbin had spent about thirty minutes trying to convince Minho to let the others into the room with Jisung, the Medic was met with a silent nod, though the elder boy had made sure to make it very clear that he would not be leaving the Thief’s side anytime soon. Eyeing Namjoon as he entered the room, the older man simply nodded towards Minho to let him know that he would be on his best behaviour around his friend, more than likely because he knew what Minho was capable of after nearly decapitating him after simply waking him up. Another, presumably from Namjoon’s group, followed in slowly after the other and Minho could only assume that this was the other healer that had aided Changbin in the lateness of last night. The man was much shorter than Namjoon but still managed to tower over Changbin as he motioned for both of them to come into the room. Messy ashen locks fell over his sleep laiden eyes and Minho knew that his fatigued look was probably due to the fact that he had been using a ton of energy to heal all of Jisung’s injuries with Changbin.

 

“Minho hyung, this is Jimin-ssi, he’s a Medic too. He really helped me out in treating Jisungie’s wounds after we came through the portal.” Clearing his throat, Changbin moved in a little closer to Minho as Jimin bowed politely towards the Tracker, despite obviously being older.

 

“Hyung, I know you have a resting bitch face but can you at least manage a smile for them? Be polite and greet him back!”

 

It didn’t seem to matter to Changbin that Minho was his hyung when he swiftly hit him over the back of the head, causing Jimin and Namjoon to laugh through their noses at the treatment of the slightly terrifying boy that had the look of murder in his eyes. Albeit unwillingly, Minho bowed in return to Jimin and managed a small grin, though to Changbin, it looked like he was in immense pain rather than trying to greet someone politely.

 

Jimin sat with Changbin at Jisung’s bedside, with Minho and Namjoon keeping a watchful eye behind their backs. Green rings of light swirled around Jimin’s fingers, the older man placing his palms directly on the side of Jisung’s forehead and Minho had to stop himself with every ounce of strength he had in his body to keep from pouncing in case the unknown Medic tried any funny business. He told himself that perhaps he was getting a little too worked up since Changbin had vouched for both of them already, he didn’t want to be the possessive type of friend, if he was even allowed to call himself Jisung’s friend anymore. So, he held back and watched as Jimin worked his magic to try and heal the damage done to Jisung, with Changbin using his own spells to try and amplify the older Medic’s healing capabilities. Saying that they had done all that they could for the time being, both Medics exited the room to rest along with Namjoon, leaving Minho to place himself at Jisung’s bedside again.

 

Eyelids drooping with exhaustion, the Tracker slapped his own cheek a little, trying to keep himself awake. He promised himself that he would watch over Jisung and that wouldn’t particularly be an easy task if his eyes were closed. Scooting in closer to the wooden bed, Minho laid his head down on the woolen blankets wrapped around Jisung’s lightly breathing form. He intertwined their fingers, rubbing his thumb in circular motions on the back of Jisung’s hand and whispering quiet little prayers.

 

“Jisung, can you wake up for me? Please? I don’t know how much longer I can take this. I need to know that you’ll be ok.” Giving a slight squeeze to the younger boy’s hand, Minho pleaded with himself not to break, something he had become very used to doing since Jisung had discovered who he really was. “Jisung, just wake up for me.”

 

He could have imagined it, it would have been such an easy thing to mistake but when he felt his hand being clutched a little bit harder a second time, his eyes jumped up to look at Jisung’s face, the boy’s brows twitching like the light in the room was just a little too bright for him. The Tracker leapt up so suddenly that the stool which he was placed upon clattered rather loudly upon meeting with the ground. Still holding onto the Thief’s hand, Minho moved further up the bed, pulling down the blankets a little where they met at Jisung’s chin, making sure he wasn’t imagining the younger boy’s eyes beginning to flutter open.

 

Barely above a whisper, Minho managed to croak out a few sounds, none of them intelligible before attempting to find his voice in the depths of his chest. Cupping the younger boy’s cheek, Minho moved closer, examining the features that crinkled up in pain. Finally meeting with the hazel eyes of the other, Minho couldn’t help but notice the similarities between now and the first time he had interacted with Jisung, staring down at him from above as he lay in his bed.

 

“Jisung?”

 

Within seconds of the Thief opening his eyes, glistening tears managed to break through, falling to the soft pillow beneath his head. “Am I dead?”

 

Minho wasn’t quite sure whether to laugh or cry as he saw Jisung come back to him, the other seemingly worried that neither of them had made it through Gyujin’s very vicious assault.

 

“No, sunshine, you aren’t dead. I think it would be awfully disappointing if heaven looked like this dingy, little room, don’t you think?”

 

Looking around the sparsely decorated area, Jisung agreed that this place would most definitely be a let down if he had to spend eternity here. “Where are we?”

 

“Ah, there’s a whole lot of shit to explain but at the moment, we’re safe. The woman that was with Gyujin, she was a Leaper. She lost control of her abilities and opened a lot of portals and we all got separated from each other. Changbinnine is here and Yukhei was too- ah, you have no idea who Yukhei is- anyways, we’re not quite sure where the others were sent to but since we all fell through, we thought that they might have fallen together too. Oh and Gyujin is-”

 

“Dead. Yeah, I remember stabbing him.” There didn’t seem to be any form of regret or remorse in the boy’s voice, something Minho would never judge him for after hearing about and seeing everything that Gyujin had done to him. The only sort of negative emotion came about when Minho told him that he was no longer with all of his members and he could see the boy begin to think that it had been his fault because they had been torn apart after coming to rescue him.

 

Attempting to move, Jisung’s whole body contracted, begging him to stay still and not try to move in any way. This was made more obvious by the fact that Minho’s hands immediately came to rest on his shoulders and keep him from sitting up,

 

“Jisung, you need to stay still. Changbinnie healed a lot of your wounds but you’re going to be very sore for a little while. Just trust me, alright?”

 

Before Jisung could stop himself, the small ghost of a whisper fell from his lips. “Trust you…”

 

Minho immediately recoiled, removing his hands from where they rested on Jisung’s arms as if the contact burned his fingertips. The Tracker had been so lost in the moment, so incredibly relieved that Jisung had returned to him, that he had almost forgotten his place. He stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over the stool he had knocked over previously. Jisung could see it in his eyes, how much those two little words had hurt him, the silence falling between the two deafening in their ears.

 

“Ah, that’s not something you can do anymore, is it? That’s ok, don’t worry. I get if you don’t want to be alone with me from now on. Um, Changbin is just down the hall with Namjoon-ssi and the others. I’ll go get them for you, wait a second.” Minho quickly turned on his heel to leave the room and the uncomfortable atmosphere that made him feel like he was suffocating. He knew this would happen, he saw it coming but that didn’t stop the overwhelming pain from surging up inside of him when he saw the doubt in Jisung’s eyes. He told Changbin that he would never leave Jisung’s side again, not for anything but he really should of considered the fact that Jisung didn’t want or need him to protect him anymore. Minho barely got to the door and had begun to turn the handle before and order was barked at him.

 

“Wait! Don’t get Changbin hyung yet. Come back here.”

 

Minho knew it wasn’t a suggestion on Jisung’s part and slowly managed to release the doorknob and drag himself back towards the younger boy still snuggled up safely beneath the covers.

 

“Why did you do it?”

 

Minho didn’t know exactly what the Thief was referring to but he thought that he could probably guess. Why had he lied to him? Betrayed his trust? Caused him so much unimaginable pain? Could he really answer that question and provide a sufficient answer for the younger boy?

 

“Jisung, I’m so sorry that I kept everything from you-”

 

“No, I didn’t mean about any of that. Why did you come to rescue me?”

 

Now that was the question that Minho had not been expecting. Wasn’t it obvious to him? Perhaps not after all they had been through together over the past couple of days. The crackling fire behind him filled Minho’s silence as Jisung patiently waited for his response, eyes never leaving the hunched form of the elder.

 

“How could I not come to save you when I knew you were in trouble, Jisung? What was I supposed to do when Innie came to find me and begged me for help? Was I supposed to brush him off and say no? Would that have been better? I know you didn’t want to see me but the fear that I felt when they thought that Gyujin had taken you made me run faster than I ever had in my entire life. I needed to find you.”

 

“Why?”

 

Minho thought that he really couldn’t tell Jisung about his feelings for him; that privilege had been stripped away from him along with the prerogative to be the younger boy’s friend in any way.

 

“Jisung, I-I don’t think I really have the right to say what I feel for you anymo-”

 

“Tell me anyways.”

 

Minho huffed in exasperation, glaring at the boy who patted the side of his bed for Minho to take a seat on the soft mattress that dipped beneath his weight as he complied with the Thief’s request.

 

“Because the thought of you no longer being in this world was the most terrifying thing that ever entered my mind. The idea that I may never again be able to hear your laughter or see your smile again made my stomach turn. You being safe is my top priority and has been for a long time. I needed to find you, I needed to make sure that you were alright because I’ve been so helplessly in love with you for weeks now and I couldn’t let you go, no matter how much you wanted me to.”

 

Minho didn’t know why his tears had begun to fall again. He surmised that perhaps the reason was because he thought that Jisung would ask him to leave again now that he knew he was safe, that Changbin could do the rest and look after him until they were ready to leave and find the others. He would probably tell him to get out, just like he had done a couple of nights previously. He didn’t want to be on his own again, he didn’t want to be without his family.

 

“So, you wanted to know the reason that I came along with the others to rescue you? There you have it!”

 

A weak grasp collected the front of Minho’s shirt before he was pulled forward towards Jisung, the younger boy crashing their lips together. The kiss was messy and clumsy but held a softness that both of them yearned for as their tears mixed together, with Minho realising that the younger boy had begun to cry even harder after hearing his confession. Their lips began to move in perfect synchronicity, like they were made to fit together. Jisung carefully moved his hand around Minho’s neck, playing with the silky tuft of hair that glided through his fingers with ease. His other hand fell downwards, trying to find Minho’s before they became intertwined, both holding on like they would be ripped away from each other again in a matter of seconds. Minho wrapped his fingers around Jisung’s waist when he realised the younger was having slight trouble staying in an upright position and supported him before he slowly guided him back down towards the pillow, their delicate kiss never breaking. They stayed together for what felt like an eternity and Minho thought that if this was where he had to spend the rest of his life, then that was perfectly fine by him. In fact, it was more than perfect.  

 

Steadying their breathing, they let their foreheads rest against each other, staring into each other’s eyes and listening to their racing heartbeats.

 

“He told me that you were coming for me but I didn’t actually believe him. I thought it was just a ruse to try and hurt me since he seemed to be wise about how I felt about you. Gyujin said that the reason he hadn’t gotten to me sooner was because you kept protecting me, not giving him a chance to attack. You were doing it the whole time without me even noticing it, you were keeping me safe. Then, it was real? This thing between us, that wasn’t a lie?”

 

Minho exhaled heavily as he shook his head, still resting against Jisung’s, to let the other know that he was completely serious about how he felt for the sweetest boy in the world lying beneath him. “I think ever since we went on the mission to rescue Seungminnie and Innie in Aquiria, things were most definitely different than what I had originally planned out. I am so in love with you, Jisung and I need you to know that and that I am _so_ unbelievably sorry for putting you through all of this shit. I know I deserved it when you asked me to go but when you sent me away, I-”

 

Running his fingers through the Tracker’s hair, Jisung tried to quieten the bare sob that raked its way up his throat. “Then this is it, Minho, ok? No more lies. No more fucking around. No more of this push or pull. We’re in this together, from now on, it’s you and me. We’ll love each other and keep one another safe in Phantasm and when we return to the real world too.”

 

The nightmares that had plagued Minho’s heart suddenly began to dissipate, only taking in the light that radiated from the boy in front of him. Loving someone and trying to keep them safe? Minho had done that before. Being loved and protected? Now that was a rather strange concept. Not that he was going to argue about it. Jisung wanted this to continue this even when they got out of this place? Something like that sounded perfect to the elder. Minho often thought that Jisung was far too pure to hang around with someone like himself, someone so dark and broken but Jisung’s kind and reassuring words only made him want to stay with the Thief more. Bending down once again, Minho placed a tender kiss to the other’s forehead, letting the boy know that he was more than invested in the relationship that Jisung had proposed to him.

 

Knowing that Jisung had said he had nobody waiting for him when he got back to the real world, Minho would let the other know that he was in the exact same position, always alone and fending for himself. From now on, according to Jisung, that would not be the case.

 

Finally realising that the recipient of its message was now back in the world of the living, the little wisp that had settled itself on the bedside table, long forgotten about by Minho because of what had just happened between himself and Jisung, jumped up excitedly and shifted to amber, Hyunjin’s soft voice slipping gently from its flames.

 

_“Jisungie, I’m praying really hard right now that this message finds you well. Innie is sending out these wisps to you, Minho hyung and Woojinnie hyung since they let him know that you were all still alive. Everyone is, so don’t worry about them. I really hope that someone else fell through with you. Minho hyung was holding onto you really tightly before I slipped through the portal, so maybe you’re with him. Hopefully you are, I don’t want to think of the possibility of you being on your own, not when you were hurt so badly. I’m to let you know that we’re all going to travel back to Haknal and if you can, make your way back there too and we’ll gather up again. It may take a little while, we’re not quite sure where we are yet but I don’t think it’s anywhere close to Morthan or Haknal. We’ll figure it out though. Man, I really hope you’re safe. Oh, and Channie hyung is with us too! I can’t believe I nearly forgot to mention that. Ah, please be safe, Jisungie but I guess I won’t know anything until you respond to this message, if you respond to it. Innie said not to make this too long as it’s already taking up his energy. So, please reply, keep safe, we will wait for you no matter what in Haknal and all of the others for that matter. Love you, Jisungie! Hyunjin out.”_

 

And with that, the little wisp turned back to the soft blue it had been moments ago, settling back down on the table until Jisung was ready to record his own message to send back to Hyunjin.

 

“I got one from Innie earlier. Pretty much said the same thing but that he hoped I was alright after what Gyujin did to me and ended up pleading that I had at least managed to fall with someone else, mostly you so that he knew you weren’t alone. I haven’t sent my one back yet cause I wanted to wait until you woke up to send a favourable reply. We can do it together later if you want, with Changbinnie too- oh shit, I should probably tell Changbin you’re awake, he’s been trying really hard to heal you along with one of the people who live in this house. He’s been really worried about you too.”

 

He began to stand before feeling a strong grasp on his sleeve to hold him in place. “Minho, don’t leave. Please don’t, not yet.”

 

Chuckling slightly, Minho uncurled the boy’s fingers from his wrist and bent down to eye level before grasping the other’s hand, pressing a gentle kiss to his knuckles. “I’ll be right back, sunshine, I promise. You can count the time that I’m gone and for every second I am not by your side, that’s the amount of times I have to buy food for you. Now you’ll know I’m really serious about getting back to you as fast as possible. I know how much you can eat!”

Jisung managed a giggle, a sound that Minho had felt he had gone for far too long without and would never want to go a day without hearing again. “Um, by the way, if we’re alright now, then how come you haven’t started calling me hyung again?”

 

“I don’t think we have the same kind of relationship that we did before this whole mess started, a shift in dynamic requires a bit more familiarity, don’t you think? Besides, you’re asking me why I’ve dropped the honorifics when you’ve just kinda passionately made out with me? And should you _really_ be asking that when this ‘sunshine’ nickname has just popped up out of nowhere? What’s that about?”

 

The Tracker’s smile grew just that little bit wider at the sound of Jisung falling back into normal conversation with him, even more so than he had before that fated night. “It kinda slipped out in the moment when I was trying to get those ropes off of your wrists in the warehouse but I like it, I think it suits you. Why? Do you not?” It hadn’t been a thought that had occurred to Minho, that Jisung wouldn’t want him calling him pet names and maybe that was a step too far on the familiarity scale for the younger boy.

 

“Hmm, I like it, I really like it. It’s just very unlike you but then again, I guess I didn’t really know everything about you all this time. I’m making a joke about that, don’t look so upset, Minho. Ok, I’m counting, go and tell Changbinnie hyung.”

 

The elder boy had one foot out the door again before he heard his name and quickly spun around to see Jisung smiling at him. “I never actually said thank you, did I? For coming to save me. You could have walked away so easily but you put yourself in danger for me so, thank you, Minho.”

 

It had never been an option for Minho to leave the other when he was in a time of need but he was going to accept Jisung’s gratitude all the same. “Walk away from you, Jisung? That wouldn’t ever be an easy thing for me to do but you are welcome. If it meant you were safe, I would do it again a thousand times over, sunshine.”

 

Jisung beamed once again at the nickname before quickly waving the Tracker off. Minho began with hasty steps to go and tell Changbin that Jisung was now back with them. He thought to himself that, perhaps, everything might just turn out right for him this time, something that he wasn’t used to at all. A positive note in his head, Minho broke into a full on sprint, thinking of all the coins he would lose in feeding Jisung if he was gone from his side for too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm wondering how many of you I worried with the title and author's note. It doesn't matter because...happy minsung! Oh, I am so incredibly happy to finally write some fluff for them. They needed it, I needed it. Hope you guys liked it! See you next week.


	30. Love alone means nothing unless you have a tortured heart for it to soothe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, I know I promised so many of you in the comments last week that I would allow them to rest and the angst would be minimal. Yeah, so putting up warnings for heavy angst, violence, death, abuse in this chapter. You all thought it was over! I'm kidding, it's just a flashback but putting the warnings up again in case anyone is uncomfortable reading that. You'll know when the flashback is coming if you want to skip it. Enjoy the chapter!

“Innie, you’re doing so well. Just hang on a little longer, alright?” 

 

Chan felt the slight nod against his neck as Jeongin rested his head on the older boy’s shoulders. Even after all the time that had passed since they had rescued him from Siwan’s home, Jeongin still felt unnaturally light as Chan carried him on his back towards an unknown destination. They had walked for hours before they saw lights on the horizon that looked rather like a village, so that’s where they decided to head since they hadn’t found any other signs of life upon their travels. Jeongin had slept for a few hours with Hyunjin as Chan kept a lookout. They had then allowed the eldest to rest before recording their messages for their friends and sending the little ghosts on their way. While Jeongin didn’t particularly need to control them since the wisps knew where they were going by themselves, he did have to constantly lend them energy so that they could remain present in the world. Should he fall asleep or be knocked unconscious, the little lights would immediately vanish and he would have to start the process all over again once he woke up. Therefore, he remained on Chan’s back to preserve energy, the older boy giving his leg a little squeeze every so often to make sure that he was still with him but more so to make sure that he wasn’t suffering too much from the little wisps taking up so much of his energy. 

 

None of the wisps that he had sent out had yet returned, Jeongin couldn’t even tell if they had reached their destination yet but they were sapping his energy at a surprisingly fast rate, the boy already finding it hard not to slip into a deep slumber. Hyunjin did his best to keep him talking, asking him every question he could think of to keep him awake. It seemed that the banality of the questions were causing Jeongin to yawn widely as he answered them with a lackadaisical tone, so Hyunjin decided to switch things up a bit. 

 

“Innie, if you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring one member of our group with you, who would it be and why?” 

 

Jeongin perked up a bit, resting his chin on Chan’s shoulder as he looked off into the distance to try and find the answer on the skyline. “Hmm, who would I bring?” 

 

“I thought the answer would automatically be Seungminnie.”

 

“Seungminnie hyung? He would annoy the hell out of me! I love him but man, he’s like an itch that I can’t scratch sometimes!” 

 

Chan broke into soft laughter at the Necromancer’s reasoning as he continued on, despite being rather tired himself from the pitiful amount of sleep he had over the past couple of days. 

 

“I think...I think I would bring Woojinnie hyung.” 

 

“How come?” 

 

“I think he would be good at singing me to sleep.” 

  
Chan couldn’t argue with that. Woojin often practiced his spells before he went to sleep, sight reading the new melodies that he found in his recently purchased books and humming them along in the sweetest tone the Knight had ever heard. It was the first thing that drew him towards Woojin back in Haknal before he even knew who he was. Slipping back into the past, Chan couldn’t help but smirk as he recollected how he met Woojin and how he had already been head over heels for the other within the first few days of knowing him. Who was he kidding? He was pretty sure it only took a few minutes for him to develop a crush on the Bard but it had seemingly all turned out well for both of them in the end. 

 

Chan thought of himself as a patient person, he felt that he didn’t have a choice in the matter when he had to deal with the younger members in his group but waiting for the wisp he sent to Woojin to come back to him was agonising. Would he be safe? Would there be others with him? Would he even reply at all? No, Jeongin had said that he was alive so a reply was most definitely on its way. He just needed to wait a little bit longer. 

 

“Channie hyung?”

 

“Hmm?” 

 

“Who would you pick? And you’re not allowed to say Woojinnie hyung, we’re not going to let the two of you be alone on a desert island.”

 

The Knight did his best to swipe at Hyunjin and his suggestive wiggling eyebrows but couldn’t reach very far when Jeongin was still placed firmly on his back. 

 

“I don’t know, I’d want to take all of you with me.” 

 

“That is such a dad answer. As expected of Channie hyung,” Jeongin giggled, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck just a little bit tighter as they reached the outskirts of the village. 

 

After spending so much time in the capital city, the village into which they arrived seemed tiny compared to Morthan. There were numerous buildings placed around the area but the population seemed sparse, though that could have been because of the fact that the sun was beginning to disappear behind the surrounding hills. Only a few people were left strolling through the town but they figured they needed to stop someone and ask them for directions to the nearest inn. 

 

“Um, excuse me?” Stopping a young man carrying a paper bag full of groceries, Hyunjin sprinted up to him, leaving Chan and Jeongin behind in his steps. The boy looked slightly startled in being called out to, almost as if he was sure Hyunjin couldn’t be talking to him. 

 

“Would you by any chance be able to tell us where the nearest inn is?” 

 

The raven haired boy opened his mouth before immediately closing it again, looking like he wanted to answer but was hesitating slightly on his response. Hyunjin quirked an eyebrow, thinking he might have said something wrong or that he might not have been understood and looked back to Chan carrying Jeongin towards them. 

 

Momentarily opening his heavy eyelids to scan the scene in front of him, Jeongin felt a weird tension in his chest as he looked at the boy standing beside Hyunjin, unable to pinpoint the precise reason that he felt a connection to the other who he was positive he had never met before. Finally meeting eyes with the boy, he saw a magenta flame flare behind his eyelids and concluded that he may know the reason that he felt drawn to him. 

 

“Channie hyung, I think this guy is a Necromancer too.” 

 

“Huh? You can tell?”

 

“I’m not sure, it’s just a feeling.”

 

Finally finding the courage to speak, the boy let out a little sigh before continuing. “I, um, actually own an inn just down the street. There are plenty of rooms if you guys need one but…” 

 

“Wait, you own an inn? Aren’t you a little young?” Chan could say with certainty that this kid standing in front of him couldn’t have been that much older than Hyunjin or Jeongin, if he was even that old. He had been in enough inns during his time in Phantasm and pretty much every owner was at least in their thirties or forties. This kid was just that, a kid. 

 

“If you don’t want to stay there, you don’t have to, there are a lot of other inns lining the main street. You wouldn’t be the first to want to stay away from my place. Just keep heading straight and you’ll find some.” 

 

Garnering a confused glance from both Chan and Hyunjin, the boy readjusted his grip on his bag before beginning to leave them behind. 

 

“Is it because you’re a Necromancer?” 

 

That caused the boy to halt, swinging back around to stare at Jeongin and his question, nearly dropping his produce in the process. “How the hell did you know that?”

 

Seemingly Jeongin’s suspicions had been true, he had finally found another Necromancer within this game and it was this terrified looking kid standing in front of him. 

 

“I’m not really sure but maybe it’s because I am one too? I felt a weird sort of connection to you, though I’m not sure if that happens with other classes as well. Is that why people stay away from your inn? Because that doesn’t bother us. We would be happy to stay there.” Jeongin rested his head against Chan’s, pleading with himself to stay conscious even though he was sure not an ounce of energy remained in his body. 

 

“You...you’re a Necromancer too? Really? I’ve never met another one before. You guys really wouldn’t mind staying at my place?” The boy looked on with high expectations as the three friends shook their heads to show that his class made no difference to them and that as long as his inn had beds, they were more than happy to take him up on his offer. 

 

That seemed to immediately do the trick as the boy perked up and ushered them along to follow him. Walking through the front door, Chan couldn’t understand why people would ever want to stay away from this place. It was pristine, the snow white ceramic walls glistening as the soft crystal lights fell down upon them. The Knight didn’t know how it was possible but there didn’t seem to be a speck of dirt around the place; it was immaculate. 

 

“You guys will probably want to stay together in one room right? Um, I don’t mean to be nosy but...is he alright?” The boy gestured to Jeongin whose head drooped ever so slightly before he immediately sat himself up with unfocused eyes and gestured for Chan to finally lower him to the ground, though the older boy made sure to keep a firm grip around his waist.

 

“Oh, you should know about this since you’re a Necromancer. He sent out wisps to get messages to our friends but they haven’t come back yet so he’s trying to stay awake until all of them do. They’ve been gone for quite a while now so he’s starting to feel the effects. We got separated from them and we think that there’s quite a distance that they had to travel.” The Knight pulled Jeongin in a little closer when he felt the tremors flowing up from his legs to wrack the rest of his body. 

 

“Wait, he sent out two wisps over a long distance?”

 

“Actually, he sent out three.”

 

“What?! Is he trying to hurt himself?! If they don’t come back soon, he could do irreversible damage to his body! Just tell him to sleep and try again tomorrow with only one wisp.” The bag that the boy had been carrying made a loud thump as he placed it on the counter in obvious annoyance at what Jeongin had attempted to do. 

 

“No, I’m gonna stay awake until they come back. I can do it, I know I can.” 

 

The other Necromancer didn’t look convinced as he huffed in exasperation at how stubborn Jeongin seemed to be, even when it came to the matter of his life.

 

“Whatever. You wanna kill yourself? Then go ahead. It’s not my place to tell you what to do.” 

 

Handing the keys to Hyunjin, the boy settled himself behind the counter and took out a notebook before beginning to scribble down some notes. The pages were worn, almost as if he had possessed the book for quite some time and since he seemed to be nearing the final pages, Chan thought his theory was probably correct. Handing Jeongin over to the Alchemist, he ushered him to climb the stairs and stay with the Necromancer while he talked to the young owner of the inn. 

 

“What are you writing there?”

 

The boy flinched slightly, obviously thinking that Chan had followed the others up to the room. He quickly shut the book, folding his arms over the cover even though Chan wouldn’t be able to see anything anyways. 

 

“I-I just write some song lyrics. They’re not very good but I have a lot of time to myself since people don’t want to be around me very often.” 

 

“You do? That’s awesome, I produced some music back home. Can I see them?”

 

The bright look in Chan’s eyes showed how excited he was after hearing that there was another in this world that shared his love for music but not the magical type he was so used to experiencing nowadays. He had already found someone like that in Woojin and frequently discussed the topic with the Bard but not being beside him in this instance, Chan thought it would be fun to speak to another about their insights and opinions on the subject. However, the hesitancy in the boy’s features made Chan retract his hands rather quickly. 

 

“If you don’t want to, that’s ok! I was just curious about the topics you use for writing lyrics. I’m sure they’re great. Thanks for letting us stay here by the way. And getting angry at Jeongin for sending out multiple wisps? I’ve already covered that, he’s just a stubborn kid, he won’t listen once he sets his mind to something.” 

 

“Yeah, he looks like that type.” 

 

Grinning at the boy’s unimpressed expression, Chan tapped his head at the thought of his rudeness. “I realise that I never even asked you your name. I’m Bang Chan and the two upstairs are Hyunjin and Jeongin.”

 

“Ah, then, Chan-ssi, we share the same surname. I’m Bang Yedam. It’s nice to meet you.” 

 

Extending his hand for the elder, Yedam gave a rather uncharacteristic smile as he bowed his head in a greeting. 

 

“It’s nice to meet you too. Seriously though, aren’t you a little young to be running a place like this by yourself? You can’t be that much older than Hyunjin.”

 

“I can’t really do many other jobs with my necromancy powers, so I thought I would do something like this with my time instead. It doesn’t really matter what age you are in Phantasm as long as you can do the job right. Is Hyunjin-ssi sixteen too? He looks older.” 

 

“What? You’re only sixteen? Man, I’m surrounded by kids! You’re even younger than Jeongin, he’s seventeen, Hyunjin’s a year older. And you’re here all by yourself?” Chan couldn’t help but feel a little sense of pity as he glanced sadly at the lonely young boy self consciously playing with his fingers.

 

“It doesn’t bother me that much but it’s nice when I have guests, even if I can only interact with them a little bit. Ah, it’s getting kind of late, would you guys like something to eat? I can whip something up if you’d like. I’m going to be making something for myself anyways.”

 

“That would be great, Yedam. Thank you but I have one condition.”

 

“You want it delivered to your room? You guys probably want to rest.” 

 

“Actually, I was going to say that I wanted you to eat with us.”

 

Immediate confusion crossing over his face, Yedam searched Chan’s expression for some sort of reason, some sort of ulterior motive as to why he would ever want to eat with someone like him. “Really? You want to me to eat dinner with you? Why?” 

 

“Why not? If you’d rather eat alone, I don’t mind, I just thought-”

 

“No, no! That’s fine by me. Um, just give me about an hour and you can come down and we can eat together. I’ll have everything ready for you.” 

 

“Channie hyung! Come quick! Woojinnie hyung’s wisp just came back!” 

 

The shouting from upstairs made Chan turn on his heel rather quickly before stopping and waving to Yedam with the biggest smile on his face. Slipping a couple of times because of the speed he was climbing the steps, Chan eventually managed to get to the rented room and quickly shut the door behind himself.

 

“Man, that guy is weird, all of them are.” Yedam put his lyric book back in the drawer of the desk before hopping off his stool and making his way to the kitchen. “They seem nice, I guess.”

 

* * *

 

“Minho, can I ask you something?” 

 

Changbin had told Jisung not to move around too much but the Thief had never been very good at listening to the orders of others, especially someone as non-threatening as Changbin. He was going stir crazy having to sit in bed all day with nothing to distract him. Well, nothing but Minho. He needed to get out of the house but they were still a couple of days off from leaving the place that Namjoon told them they could stay in for as long as they needed to. He thought it would suffice if he could just take a walk around outside, not that he was ever going to be left do that alone now that he had a guard dog watching his every move. It didn’t matter how many times Jisung reminded the Tracker that Gyujin was dead, the newfound overprotectiveness that he had inherited because of the recent incident with the Blood Mage was still in full swing as Minho accompanied the boy on his outing. The horizon glowed as the rays of the setting sun bounced off of the waves in the distance before both settled down to take a slight rest. 

 

“Of course, go ahead.” 

 

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” 

 

“About who I was?” 

 

The slight nod he received in confirmation still held a little bit of disappointment as Jisung thought about the fact that Minho had kept such a secret from him. Then again, he thought it would be an awfully hypocritical to judge the older boy when he himself had hidden such important details about his life. 

 

“Because I was a coward. Plain and simple. At the beginning, you were part of a job, I’m not going to lie about that. Being with you was a necessity to get Gyujin’s bounty since you had told me that he was coming after you. I’d been chasing him for months and I had nothing. Then someone like you drops straight in front of me? How was I supposed to let an opportunity like that walk away from me?” 

 

Jisung hung his head a little lower, thinking of the time he spent with the Tracker in the beginning and how it had seemingly meant nothing to him. It was different now, he knew that but it still stung just a little bit. 

 

“That was all I was interested in but you have no idea how quickly that changed. Do you realise how captivating you are? How captivating all of you are? You are the kindest group of people and you don’t even have to try. It was weird for me being around the likes of you, I wasn’t used to it but I very quickly came to the conclusion that I liked you guys and that I wanted to become part of your group. Trying to tell you that I had initially planned to use you? I just- I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to bring it up without all of you hating me. That worked out for me really well, huh?”

 

Tenderly intertwining their fingers together, Jisung silently let the other know that it was all in the past now. He couldn’t say that it didn’t matter, it did but they would move past all of it together. He had chosen to forgive him and the way that Changbin had filled him in on what happened since he went missing told him that all of the other boys were willing to give Minho a second chance too.  

 

“Can I ask you about something else?.” 

 

“If you want to know something about me, Jisung, then just say so. You don’t have to check if it’s alright.”

 

“Ok, then, I think I need you to tell me about your past.” 

 

Jisung saw Minho freeze up from the corner of his eye, the boy immediately ripping his fingers out of the tender hold Jisung had on them and shaking his head to let the Thief know that it was something he couldn’t tell him about. Minho really didn’t think Jisung would go in that direction when he told him to just ask about anything without checking. 

 

“Minho, I thought we agreed that there would be no more lies between us.”

 

“I’m not lying to you, I’m just not going to tell you the truth.” Minho averted his eyes from the Thief, taking in the sea on the horizon instead as the sun illuminated the waves. 

 

Sighing in exasperation, Jisung moved further into the Tracker’s side, snaking his hands around Minho’s forearm. “Minho…”

 

“You’ll tell me to leave again.” 

 

Jisung’s head shot up at that before he could nuzzle it into Minho’s shoulder. The Thief could feel him begin to shake slightly at the thought of Jisung abandoning him upon hearing about what he went through in his life. After all they had been through together, everything that they had endured, Jisung was now even more curious about Minho before he had entered Phantasm. Grabbing the other’s face ever so gently between his fingertips, Jisung guided his eyes to meet his own, glancing sadly at the tears beginning to collect on the tips of the Tracker’s eyelashes. 

 

“If I make a promise that I will not ask you to leave again, will you tell me? I’ll keep it a secret if you don’t want the others to know about it but Minho, I feel like I should know about what caused you to have the class that you do.”

 

Jisung could see the internal turmoil the boy was enduring because of him but he wanted Minho to stop hiding things from him. He wanted to know everything about him, both the good and the bad and he felt that what he would hear would be on the latter end of the scale. 

 

“You promise that you won’t leave me? No matter what I tell you?” The reversal of roles made Jisung smile wistfully, seeing Minho as a young man who had obviously been discarded by one too many people in his life, just like Jisung had been. An unseen connection that inevitably brought them closer together. 

 

“I promise, Minho.” 

 

“Ok. You want to know everything? Should I start from the beginning?” Garnering a small nod from Jisung, along with an encouraging smile, Minho delved deep into his repressed memories to let the boy he loved know about the past that made him who he was. 

 

Jisung felt that he was going to be in for one hell of a ride if Minho’s downcast expression was anything to go by. He removed his hold on Minho’s arm, maneuvering himself so that he sat directly in front of the other, grasping his hands in a comforting sort of way to make this revelation just that little bit easier. 

 

“Let me start by saying that my family was pretty prestigious. My father had a fairly high up position in a well known company where I’m from-” Minho knew he had to get rid of this terrible habit of being secretive about who he was and when he saw Jisung’s quirked eyebrow, he knew he shouldn’t skip out on any details about himself. 

 

“Gimpo, that’s where I grew up. Anyway, he was really successful but with that success came a hell of a lot of stress or, at least, that used to be his excuse most of the time. In the beginning, my mother got the brunt of his abuse. The fact that he drank a lot, most of the time to excess, didn’t help when the troubles of the job got too much for him. I can remember the sound of my mother crying out when she was hit, that seems to be a memory I can’t shake from my head. Maybe it was because he took his frustration out on her that he never really focused in on me or maybe it was just because it would have been too noisy for the neighbours if he started beating a three year old up.”  

 

Jisung didn’t like where this was going. He didn’t like where this was going at all. Minho’s eyes had clouded over, almost as if he was now inside of his head and living out his memories that he was being forced to reveal to the boy in front of him. 

 

“I had just started school and I loved it. Was it because I didn’t have to be in the house all of the time with the two of them? I’m not really sure. When I finished my first day, I waited for my mother to pick me up but she never showed. Everybody else had returned home so I figured I could walk back by myself. I was a big boy after all, I was in school now.” Minho left go a humourless laugh, Jisung holding onto his hands just that little bit harder to show him that he had nothing to be afraid of in revealing his deepest secrets to him. 

 

“When I got home, there was nobody there. Luckily, I knew that we kept a key underneath a flowerpot to the left of the front door in case of emergencies. The place was empty, there was no smell of food flowing from the kitchen like there would usually have been at that time of day and I wondered if I had just missed my mother and maybe she had just been running a little bit late in picking me up from school. I thought that she’d return eventually so I just waited by myself and went to the kitchen to get a snack. There wasn’t anyone there, however, there was a note left on the kitchen counter for my father. Being the nosy kid I was, I read it. _‘I can’t take this anymore. I’m getting out of this wretched house. I’m leaving Minho with you. I’m running far away and making sure you will never find me ever again. Look after him.’_ Look after him. She knew what he was capable of and she told him to look after me. Did she honestly not know what the fuck was going to happen to me when she left? She didn’t even consider taking me with her? Did I mean that little to my mother?” 

 

Incapacitated with rage, Minho found it hard to keep his hands from shaking as Jisung swayed them with a gentle rhythm. 

 

“His outlet for his irritation was now gone, so he had to find another one. And who do you think that was? Ten years. Ten years I went through that shit. Is it sad that they actually knew me by my name in the emergency room of my local hospital before they even looked at my charts? They saw me so often and they must have known what was going on everytime I came in with contusions, broken bones, bruises that looked suspiciously like fingertips all over my body and they did fucking nothing. Why? Because he was such a big shot? I sometimes wonder if he paid them off to keep their mouths shut. I tried telling a teacher once too and that also blew up in my face. They told him about it and I could barely make it up off of the floor when he was through with me. From then on, I stayed quiet about all of it. I couldn’t fucking trust anybody and I was tired of being let down by people.” 

 

Jisung could relate to enduring that kind of physical pain at the hands of his brother but at nearly every point in his life, he had someone who he could talk to in his times of distress; not that he ever revealed too much detail on the source of his agony. He had been removed from the cause of his suffering and even though he didn’t handle his new lifestyle very well, he always found a way to deal with his past torment. Minho never had anybody. He didn’t have anyone that cared. His mother abandoned him, his father treated him like a punching bag and the adults who were supposed to help him, the ones who he should have been able to trust, threw his expectations back in his face. It made his heart hurt and he now completely understood why Minho had been so distressed when he was shunned by his group of friends after he had made his mistake, why he had begged Jisung not to leave him after he had revealed the secrets of his past. 

 

“I became very aware of everything I did around him, trying my best to keep his anger at bay. I constantly kept my grades up, was student body president, joined my school’s dance class, was always polite and kept out of trouble; I didn’t want to give him anything more to get pissed about. I always made sure to know his schedules, where he would be at all times so that I would always be home on time and have everything ready for him. Was that where my Tracker class came from? Being able to tell where my enemy was all the time? I’m not really sure but it’s the only logical explanation I can think of.” 

 

The Thief couldn’t help but feel that Minho hadn’t spoken about the worst part of his past yet. What he had endured was awful, there was no denying that and Jisung could relate to it on some level but that was just the problem. Since Minho knew that Jisung would understand all of this, there was no reason that he wouldn’t have wanted to tell him. There was something darker hidden in Minho’s eyes and Jisung was starting to regret pushing the older boy for answers when he saw him start to break out in a cold sweat. 

 

“I was fifteen when my father’s face was plastered all over the local papers. There were rumours about him embezzling money from the company. I never got to find out if it was true or not since I never would have asked him about it. He eventually came home and I made sure I was locked up in my room, I was so terrified of what he would do to me. It seems that my wariness wasn’t unfounded though. He kicked my door down, right off of the hinges while swinging a knife around in his hand. Watching him stumble towards me, all I could think was  _ ‘this is it, this is how I’m going to die.’ _ ” 

 

The tears Jisung had seen the older boy hold back since he began his tale started to fall, Minho unable to wipe them away since the Thief didn’t want to let go of the other’s hands, feeling the need to keep comforting him as he continued.

 

“I tried to run, not the smartest thing to do but I was a kid and frightened and not in the right mindset when a knife was being pointed at me for something that I had absolutely no control over. He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me back into the room. I took a few hits before he knocked me down to the ground and positioned himself over me. I struggled as much as I could, I didn’t want to die. I just reached out for anything to defend myself and-” 

 

Jisung hurriedly released Minho’s hands as the boy started to hyperventilate at the memories that were becoming clearer in his mind. Placing soothing hands around the back of his neck, Jisung whispered small reassurances to try and bring Minho back to him. 

 

“Shh, shh, Minho, it’s ok. I’m here, I’ve got you. You don’t have to be scared anymore.” 

 

“I didn’t mean to do it, Jisung. I grabbed one of the figurines he had knocked over in his rage. I couldn’t breathe. I just wanted him to get away from me, I didn’t mean to hit him so hard. There was so much blood, it was everywhere. I tried to wake him up, honestly I did. He wasn’t breathing. He wasn’t moving. I didn’t know what to do. I ran. I just left him there. I thought they’d blame me even though he was the one that tried to-” Minho was full on sobbing now, Jisung’s tenderness and understanding unable to break through the whispers in his head telling him that he was nothing more than a murderer. 

 

“I saw it in the papers about his body being found but it stated that they had no leads in the investigation. It mentioned me in the article, saying something about my blood also being found all over the crime scene but because we were such a happy family, I couldn’t have been a suspect, right? They thought whoever it was that killed him might have abducted or killed me too. I was such a model student, we were such a perfect family but if the police had interviewed anyone that knew me, they could have probably told them about what my home life was really like. They tried to find me all the same but there was there was no way in hell I was going back, not to something like that. So, I left with what little I had and they never did manage to locate me.”

 

Slowly reaching the conclusion of his tale, Minho hadn’t heard the disgusted remarks he had been expecting from the boy sitting in front of him, the crown of his head being illuminated by the setting sun behind him making him look as ethereal as he truly was.

 

“Maybe I fell into some bad habits. Taking on some questionable courier jobs to try and get money. I won’t go into it too much. You can probably guess what they were but it was to survive. One of my regulars was part of a particularly shady group and he took an interest in me. He told me my speed and stealth were unparalleled when it came to deliveries and offered me a place to stay if I continued to do the jobs for him and only him. I guess I took that to mean I was part of his group. I kept my head down and worked but I saw some twisted stuff back there. I always had to make sure to watch my back, nobody else was going to do it for me and maybe that contributed to the class I have as well. I also think that’s why I was so focused on getting as much money as I could in Phantasm though. I could never have enough because I was always afraid I would go hungry like I did in the beginning, that I would be sleeping out in the cold like I had done so many times back in the real world.” 

 

The calming wind whistled around their ears, shifting the glossy grass beneath them and enveloping them in a pleasant warmth in spite of their emotional situation. 

 

“I took part in some runs that ended badly for the group’s enemies and sometimes for my group as well but seeing dead bodies didn’t seem to affect me as badly as it should have in the end. They decided that I was worth keeping around to help them out on more dangerous assignments since I didn’t flinch at the sight of corpses or hesitate in attacking. In the beginning, I tried to get out of those kinds of jobs but when it came down to it, I figured that I was already a murderer, why would it make any difference if it continued on after my first kill? I never attacked innocents, that would be something that I could never do, only other gangs or criminals and that’s a rule I made myself keep in here as well. I only focused on people who had committed unspeakable crimes but that’s not really an excuse, is it? That’s how I came to find you, Gyujin was going to be my next target. I lost count of my kills, I became numb to it, like I was inside a stolen body, inside somebody else’s life. It wasn’t who I was but I had fallen in far too deep to ever willingly get out. It’s been months since I’ve done something like that though. Jisung, I’m not proud of anything that I’ve done either but I’ve done it all the same. So, have you changed your mind about leaving me? It’s ok if you have, I wouldn’t want to be around someone like me either.”

 

Expecting the tender hold around his hands to suddenly let go, he braced himself for the feeling of rejection once again, for the bitterness he was so used to feeling to come flooding back into his chest. Instead, soft lips were placed against the backs of his hands, Jisung doing everything within his power not to let his tears fall. 

 

“Self defence, that’s all it was. Your own father tried to kill you because he was the one that fucked up. How was his mistake your fault in any way? You were a kid and it was your parents’ job to look after you and they couldn’t even manage to do that. You made some bad choices in your life, I know that I have too but you were scared and all you wanted to do was survive. I know that feeling as well. In the end, we both ended up killing our demons. We’re more alike than you seem to think we are, Minho. I’m glad that you trust me enough to let me know about what you had to endure and if those nightmares ever come for you again, I will be your light and help you fight them off. I’m sure you will do the same for me. If you don’t want them too, then the others don’t need to know about this. I will keep your secret between the two of us. I want you to promise me something though. Don’t take on anymore questionable jobs, alright? Once we reunite with the others, we will all take care of you so that you don’t ever have to slip back into that kind of lifestyle.”

 

Minho’s head dipped as he tried to free his hands from the unbreakable hold on them. “I’m not used to that, Jisung. I don’t deserve it after everything that I’ve done.” 

 

Two strong slaps came to Minho’s cheeks as the boy looked up to see Jisung holding his face between his hands, staring him down with a rather unimpressed expression gracing his adorable features. “Ok, this shit of thinking you’re not worth anything? That you don’t deserve love and companionship? That has to stop! Is that what you grew up thinking? What you grew up being told? Because it’s not true, do you hear me? The others would be really angry with you if you said that while they were around. I think Woojinnie hyung and Channie hyung would whoop your ass if you put yourself down like that in front of them. You’re lucky I’m not doing that right now!” 

 

Drawing a small giggle from Minho, Jisung figured his mission was complete. He noticed it was something that the elder had constantly done, criticising and shaming himself, even if he had always said it with a joking sort of tone but Jisung now realised that those words always held very real feelings behind them and he had finally figured out the source of that. It now made even more sense to him why Minho had been so willing to save Seungmin and Jeongin from the house in which they were constantly being mistreated; Minho knew the pain of that all too well. It could take time but the Thief was going to make sure that Minho knew that he was worth something, he was worth just as much as everyone else, he was worth more than anything in the world. 

 

“It’s going to get dark soon and I don’t think you’re the only one who has become a bit too overprotective. Changbinnie hyung has gone full mom mode on me too. If we stay out much longer, he’s going to start fretting and I seriously don’t want to have to endure another long ass lecture from him. Let’s go, Min.” 

 

An outstretched hand and a promise of constant companionship made Minho’s heart swell and the fact that Jisung seemed to have adopted his own pet name for him made him smile in a way he was sure that he never had before, a smile filled with hope and expectations that he knew would be met. Walking back hand in hand, the two boys knew that they would always have someone watching their backs from now on. 

 

* * *

 

“What exactly should I say?” 

 

“Look deep within yourself, listen to your heart and whisper your deepest desires.” 

 

“Lix, shut up. Leave Woojinnie hyung alone.” 

 

The Bard rolled his eyes at Felix as he fell around the bed laughing, obviously amused at how seriously he was taking sending his message back to Chan. Of course he was taking it seriously. He had to let the other know that he was alright, that he was with two of their boys and that he would most definitely look after them until they were all reunited. 

 

“If you’re not going to help, then leave. Seungminnie, is there anything you want to say to any of them? To Hyunjin?” The little wisp bounced around in Woojin’s hand, waiting expectedly for the message to be relayed to it so it could quickly return to its master. 

 

“Just that I’m glad he’s safe. Innie and Channie hyung too. Other than that, I’ll wait until I see him again.” Wiping away the sleep from his eyes, Seungmin yawned loudly before he laid against Woojin’s shoulder to relish in the warmth of the older boy. 

 

“Lix, is there anything you want to say? To anyone? I know this isn’t going to reach Changbin directly but I’m sure Innie is going to send a message to him too after we send ours back.” 

 

“That’s ok, hyung. I said everything I needed to Binnie before we went to fight Gyujin.” 

 

Seungmin raised his head to stare at the freckled boy with Woojin, neither quite sure what he was talking about as he harboured the biggest smile on his face, clearly thinking back to their talk before the entered the warehouse. 

 

“Lix, what does that mean? Did something happen?” 

 

Trying to hide his giddiness, Felix threw himself back on the feather pillows to escape the intrigued look of the others. “You know, I’m not really one to kiss and tell…”

 

That got their attention. Any sort of fatigue that plagued them evaporated into the air as Woojin and Seungmin basically pounced on the boy to tickle an answer out of him. Felix giggled uncontrollably as Woojin dug his fingers into his sides, torturing him until he relinquished the information that they so desperately wanted to know. 

 

“You kissed him?! When? How did we miss that?”

 

“We were only gone for a couple of minutes. He took me aside before we went to rescue Jisungie. He said that he had wanted to tell me how he felt since we met but he was too scared to. He was afraid that I wouldn’t feel the same.” 

 

Woojin snorted as Seungmin rolled his eyes, unable to believe that Changbin was so immensely dense that he couldn’t see that Felix was just as enamoured with him as he was with the younger boy. It was so blatantly obvious, yet neither of them were able to see it until the circumstances had forced them to reveal it. 

  
“Well, it’s about damn time. I’ve been telling Changbinnie to say something since before we went to Aquiria.”

 

“Wait, you knew?” 

 

“Oh, Lix, come on! All of us have known about how each of you felt since forever ago! You’re not the most subtle of people. I’m just glad that Changbinnie hyung finally managed to find the courage he needed to finally get it over and done with. If I had to endure the weird tension between you guys for much longer, I would have gone crazy.” 

 

Squinted eyes and knitted eyebrows were shot towards Seungmin, Felix ready to go on the counter attack immediately. “Are we really going to sit here and talk about not confessing to the person that you have feelings for? Are we really going to do that,  _ Minnie _ ?”

 

The tips of Seungmin’s ears burned pink as he immediately shut his mouth, quickly gathering what Felix had been getting at. Maybe none of them were quite as stealthy as they believed themselves to be. 

 

“Woojinnie hyung, you take your time recording the message for Channie hyung. I’m gonna go hang out with Jae hyung. He said he’d show me a few tricks he learned while training to have more control over the beasts. Let’s see if they would help.” A little puff of smoke materialised beside Felix’s feet as he jumped off of the bed before Mani quickly shook the dust from his eyes, hopping lightly in front of his master. 

 

“Why does that keep happening? I just think about summoning him and he appears by himself. I didn’t know something like that could happen. Maybe I should ask Jae hyung about it.” It seemed that Felix had been directing the question more towards himself rather than the two boys left sitting on the bed, the young Beast Master being sure that they wouldn’t have the answers he was seeking. 

 

Now Woojin was starting to see what Jae meant when he had talked about Felix being strong with regards to his class. The potential that Felix held inside himself was being stunted by his fear but it seemed that he was slowly overcoming it and Woojin thought that, when he finally managed to see that he was powerful enough to control numerous beasts, he would probably eclipse all of them in terms of strength. 

 

“I’m gonna go too, hyung. I met some of Jae-ssi’s members earlier. They seem really nice and I’d like to get to know them a bit more. You should come and join us once you’re finished. Come on, Lix, let’s go.” Grabbing Felix’s hand, Seungmin slowly dragged the boy towards the door, being careful not to step on Mani who was scrambling beneath their feet. 

 

The flame dancing in his hands felt rather strange but he almost felt a sense of familiarity coming from the ghost, as if Jeongin was standing right beside him and it soothed him in a funny way. Thinking about his message too much was getting him worked up, so he decided to just dive head in and get it over and done with. 

 

“Um, I presume this little guy will go straight back to Innie even though Channie sent me the message so, hi, Innie, Channie, Hyunjinnie. I hope you’re all ok. I’m safe, don’t worry. I fell unconscious when I came through the portal but this nice group of people took me back to their house to rest along with the others. Oh, that’s right, Lix and Seungminnie are with me too and both are fine. They’re in the other room with the guys I mentioned earlier.” 

 

Woojin could already hear Felix and Seungmin laughing at whatever was happening in the adjoining room, probably thanks to the group of older boys. Woojin was indeed thankful that they were found by someone like them, someone who were courteous enough to let them stay in their home without asking anything in return. There were a lot of dangerous people in the world, as all of them were well aware but they had been lucky enough to avoid them. 

 

“You’re probably really thankful to hear that, huh? I know I was to hear that Hyunjinnie and Innie were with you and I promise that I’ll protect both of them with my life. Of course, I was glad to hear that you were safe too, Channie. No matter what, don’t listen to anything Lix or Seungminnie say when we get back. I swear I didn’t fall over when I heard your voice. I just hope that you can let me know quickly if the others are safe too. I hope Jisungie is doing well.”

 

He didn’t want to seem too sappy in his message, he didn’t want to fall apart speaking to a ghost while sitting in a dimly lit room on his own. That would be rather embarrassing if anyone were to walk in. 

 

“We’ll start heading back to Haknal in a couple of days. I want to let the kids rest up a bit more. Physically, they are fine but I think they might need to take time to forget about or at least come to terms with everything that we went through. I think we all do. It will take us about a week to get back but we will try to go as quickly as we can. I need to see you a-and all of the others too, of course.” 

 

Woojin quickly wished that there was a rewind button on these little things as he stuttered over his words but he was pretty sure the wisps didn’t work that way and cursed that Hyunjin and Jeongin would now probably hear him being grossly mushy towards Chan. Nothing he could do about it now. 

 

“Oh, one last thing before I go. Did you know that Changbinnie finally confessed to Lix? He told us that he did it before we went to rescue Jisungie. How did we not see that? But it’s about damn time, right? Anyways, I better go, I don’t want to hold onto this thing any longer than I have to if its sapping Innie’s energy. I’ll send it back straight away. Ah, I can hear the kids giggling outside my door. I wonder what they’re up to. I better go check that they’re not making themselves troublesome for our hosts. Take care of each other until we meet again. I love all of you and if you get a message from the others, let them know that we’ll be together soon. Channie, I love you too. See you real soon.” 

 

Before Woojin could regret saying anything else sentimental, he placed the wisp down and watched it’s flame shift back to blue before hopping up into the air and flying out the open window, presumably back to Jeongin to relay the message to its master. Hearing something smash in the room beside him, he prayed that Felix and Seungmin hadn’t been the cause of it but something called out to his brotherly instinct to let them know that his fears were probably correct. Raising from the bed, he heard apologies falling like a waterfall from Felix’s lips before he even opened the door. It seemed to Woojin that the maknae line didn’t need to be complete for them to be a walking disaster. He would have to pay Jae and the others back for whatever it was they had managed to break. This was why they needed to be watched at all times but Woojin thought it would be awfully hard to stay awake until he managed to get back to Chan, the only other person who managed to control them. Well, most of the time anyways.


	31. We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, ok, ok. There are no warnings on this chapter. It is safe, the boys are safe and I am not going to hurt them, I promise! I wonder how long I can say that for. Anyways, hope you're all having a good week! On we go!

To say that Hyunjin was relieved would have been the biggest understatement of the century. He could feel his heart going a mile a minute when he saw one of Jeongin’s wisps fly through the window that they had just cracked open to let some fresh air into the slightly stuffy room, presumably because it hadn’t had many guests recently. The young Necromancer immediately found some energy hidden within him and hopped up off of the bed that Hyunjin had just carefully placed him down on to let him rest a little, not that he could close his eyes just yet. 

 

“It’s the wisp I sent out to Woojinnie hyung. It came back, that means that he’s safe, right?” 

 

“Retrieve the message, Innie! Ah, wait. Channie hyung! Come quick! Woojinnie hyung’s wisp just came back!” Hyunjin hollered through the open bedroom door, only to hear rushed footsteps pounding up the wooden staircase, along with one or two loud bangs which the Alchemist could only assume was Chan falling in his urgency to listen to Woojin’s message. 

 

Out of breath and rubbing his bruised knees, Chan flew through the door, looking questioningly between both of the younger boys.

 

“W-Woojinnie’s came back? Really? Can we hear it?” The Knight couldn’t contain his excitement as the biggest, goofiest grin spread across his face at the thought of finally hearing Woojin’s voice again. Flopping down beside Jeongin, Chan pulled on Hyunjin’s arm so that all three were sitting on the single bed to listen to the Bard’s news about his current situation. 

 

_ “Um, I presume this little guy will go straight back to Innie even though Channie sent me the message so, hi, Innie, Channie, Hyunjinnie. I hope you’re all ok. I’m safe, don’t worry.”  _

 

“Oh, thank god.” Hand placed on his heart, Chan deflated and fell backwards onto the bed, jostling both Hyunjin and Jeongin who continued to stare at the little ghost with high expectations. 

 

_ “Oh, that’s right, Lix and Seungminnie are with me too and both are fine.”  _

 

Chan bolted upwards once again at the sound of the names of some of his other members but not before he heard Jeongin laugh with happiness. Woojin wasn’t alone, Felix and Seungmin were with him and before he could stop himself, Hyunjin felt the familiar wetness of his tears dripping down his face. Chan immediately began to cuddle him, knowing full well how he must be feeling after hearing such consoling news. Petting his ruffled locks, Chan smiled into the boy’s shoulder as it shook. 

 

_ “I promise that I’ll protect both of them with my life. Of course, I was glad to hear that you were safe too, Channie. No matter what, don’t listen to anything Lix or Seungminnie say when we get back. I swear I didn’t fall over when I heard your voice.” _

 

That allowed Hyunjin to finally break through the tears and chuckle at Woojin’s tomfoolery and obvious lies. The Knight gently rubbed his back as he laughed along with him but he couldn’t say that his legs nearly didn’t give out too when Jeongin had said that they were all still alive. They continued to listen intently as Woojin told them that he would be heading back to Haknal soon but that it would take them a little while and that suddenly reminded him that in the rush to actually find a place to sleep and let Jeongin rest, Chan had never actually asked Yedam where this place even was. That was something he would have to bring up with the young boy when they ate together later on. 

 

_ “We will try to go as quickly as we can. I need to see you a-and all of the others too, of course.”  _

 

“Man, Woojinnie hyung really is whipped.” Chan smacked the back of Hyunjin’s shoulder as Jeongin rolled around the bed giggling. It seemed that he had once again regained control of his emotions after hearing both Felix and Seungmin were safe with Woojin and apparently was using this time to zone in on that one particular sentence that had obviously been meant specifically for Chan. 

 

_ “Oh, one last thing before I go. Did you know that Changbinnie finally confessed to Lix?” _

 

A resounding ‘what?!’ left the three boys’ mouths in unison before they chuckled at the tone of exasperation in the Bard’s voice, obviously thinking that it had taken them far too long to get to this stage. 

 

_ “Lix told us that he did it before we went to rescue Jisungie. How did we not see that? But it’s about damn time, right?” _

 

“Thank the stars above! I thought they were never going to do it! Finally, we have something new to tease them with. Messing with them about not confessing was beginning to wear a little thin.” Jeongin high fived Hyunjin, thinking about all they could do to screw with the newly joined couple. 

 

Finishing off his message, Woojin began to bid them goodbye and Chan felt just a little bit depressed that this was the last time he would probably hear Woojin’s voice for the next week. However, the way the Bard chose to sign off made Chan feel that he could endure it since he knew that they would be reunited soon and he wouldn’t be letting the other out of his sight for one single second when he got him back in his arms. 

 

_ “Take care of each other until we meet again. I love all of you and if you get a message from the others, let them know that we’ll be together soon. Channie, I love you too. See you real soon.” _

 

And with that, the little wisp lifted into the air before Jeongin whispered the little chant to send it away. Feeling as if a string had snapped within his chest, the Necromancer felt like he was able to breathe just a little bit easier when he had sent one of the little wisps back to the other side. Not that he could rest easy just yet, he still had to wait for the other two to come back to him but hearing that Woojin, Felix and Seungmin were safe gave him the surge of energy that he needed to keep himself awake for just a little while longer. 

 

They sat together for another hour or so, talking about their plans to stay in the small village for a day or two longer so that Jeongin could regain some of the strength he had expended in trying to find their friends. It would take Woojin and the others a week to get back at least, so there was no point in rushing towards their destination too quickly, especially when Jeongin was in this state. Chan also knew that the youngest boy would want to send another wisp to Woojin should they hear that the rest of their members were safe, to let him know that they would all be reunited as a group soon enough and Jeongin had faith that Minho and Jisung’s wisps would come back with favourable news too. He just hoped that Changbin and Yukhei were also safe. 

 

A small knock, barely audible, came upon the shared bedroom door before Chan went to answer it. Standing a few feet back, Yedam stared at his feet, as if embarrassed about disrupting the time the boys were spending together. 

 

“Um, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you but dinner is almost ready, so…” The boy trailed off and returned his eyes to stare at the carpeted floor. 

 

“Oh, great. Guys, let’s go. We’re going to eat dinner with Yedam. Do you need help with something? Do you want us to set the table or anything?” Chan offered as they descended down the staircase. 

 

“You don’t have to, I can do that.” 

 

“Yedam, you’ve just made us a meal, that smells delicious by the way, so we can at least help you out and no buts, we’ll clean up afterwards too. Learn to rely on others a little. You don’t have to do everything by yourself.” Patting him on the back, Chan threw the biggest smile he could towards the very rattled young boy, obviously not used to having someone talk to him in this type of manner, or having anyone talk to him at all for that matter. 

 

“Ok, kids, let's get to work.” Chan gestured towards Hyunjin and Jeongin to follow him into the kitchen to begin preparing the table for the meal they were about to dig into. 

 

Yedam stood there, dumbfounded at the maturity of the eldest boy as he spoke to him with such authority but held an undeniable softness at the same time. 

 

  
“Yeah, he’s definitely weird. Or...maybe it’s me that’s weird.”

 

* * *

 

“Felix, can I try something with you?” 

 

The boy looked up to Jae from where he was sitting on the couch, huddled in beside Seungmin. He wasn’t quite sure where he was going with his line of thought as the young man looked on expectedly at him but thought that he should agree nonetheless after all that he had done from him and his friends. 

 

“Sure, what do you need me to do?” 

 

“We should head outside first. Follow me.” Jae ushered Felix to follow him out the front door, holding it open for the younger boy with a smile. Seeing the other being slightly hesitant, Jae tilted his head at Felix’s untrusting features and knew that this was most likely because of what they had all recently just been through. 

 

“Woojin and Seungmin can come with you, I just want to test out a theory of mine.” 

 

Hearing that he could bring his friends along for support, Felix immediately grabbed onto their hands and dragged them up along with him. Seungmin quickly turned to wave at the group of young men that they had been getting to know throughout the afternoon. It was nice to hear such genuine laughter coming from everyone, something that they had gone a few days without and were in dire need of. One of Jae’s friends, Wonpil, had taken an interest in Seungmin, asking him all about his illusions and how advanced his skills were since he himself was an Illustrator; he had the ability to use magic to draw a vast number of things, either on parchment or within the air itself before it came to life. While Seungmin would have to put energy into making his creations seem real, Wonpil’s automatically took on a life of their own. However, while Wonpil’s works instantly became real when he completed his sketches, it took a lot longer than Seungmin to actually create something, having to put a lot of detail into his work. They talked for most of the afternoon, learning more than the classes which each of them held and it made Seungmin exceedingly happy to have so much in common with someone, with Felix throwing in a comment that they also had some similarities with regards to their looks, which Seungmin couldn’t entirely disagree with. 

 

Finally leaving the others, the younger group of boys followed Jae into the grassy fields that surrounded the man’s house. The tranquility here was something else; only the gentle breeze and occasional whistling of the birds above invaded the silence around them. Jae came to stop in the middle of the area, shooting Felix a reassuring smile since he could see the uncertainty in the boy’s eyes. 

 

“Felix, breathe, I’m not going to make you do anything particularly strenuous. You’ve just honestly got me interested in how your abilities work.” 

 

Falling into deeper confusion, Felix scratched the nape of his neck, trying to figure out what the hell Jae was talking about. “Uh huh. That would make sense if you didn’t have the exact same abilities as I do, hyung. You’re not helping me quash my curiosity by saying something like that.” 

 

Woojin quickly threw Jae a look, thinking back to how the young man had said that Felix may have been an exception to the rules with regards to Beast Masters but he did wonder how far this exception would go. 

 

“Mmm, I’m not entirely sure that we are the same. I think you might be different and I would like to test it out.” 

 

He wasn’t quite sure what was being tested on but stood firm as Jae began mumbling to himself and Felix could only assume that he was summoning one of his beasts. Seeing his loyal Goyogae pop up beside him, the younger boy could only wonder what was in store for him. 

 

“Felix, trust me when I say that I am not going to hurt you, ok?” 

 

Before he could ask what the young man meant, a quiet command was being hummed under his breath but one that Socio had definitely heard. The Goyogae leapt up and began to dash towards Felix, its paws unsettling the mud beneath its feet. 

 

While Felix was in a better place with regards to his fear, he couldn’t say that it was completely gone, so when he saw a beast bolting towards him with nothing to protect himself, since he had left his Whip on the nightstand beside his bed, he felt a very real, primal fear rise up from the pit of his stomach. Stumbling backwards, he knew that he wouldn’t get very far before the Goyogae managed to catch up with him. Before he could turn around and make a run for it, Mani came up from behind him, facing the much larger beast head on and letting out a little roar that managed to stop Socio in his tracks. 

 

Jae called his beast back, satisfied with what he had just seen. He noticed that Woojin and Seungmin were already at Felix’s side, helping to keep the boy in a standing position as his legs wobbled just a little bit. 

 

“Um, Jae-ssi, not to sound ungrateful after everything you’ve done for us but what in the hell was that?! Why did you attack Felix?” Woojin fumed, obviously not impressed with the young man who had treated them so kindly suddenly changing his attitude towards them. 

 

“I wasn’t going to attack him, I would have stopped Socio before he reached him but it seems I didn’t need to. Mani saved you instead. I have an interesting theory about that.” 

 

Rubbing Felix’s back a little when he felt him shake ever so slightly, Seungmin couldn’t say that he wasn’t intrigued as to why Jae had suddenly set his beast on the young boy. “Would you care to enlighten us about your theory, Jae-ssi?” 

 

“I will after I try one more thing. Felix, do me a favour, think of a command for Mani but don’t say what it is. Anything at all.” 

 

Trying to get his breathing to fall into a regular rhythm again, Felix slowly came back to reality, attempting not to think about the sight of the Goyogae running towards him. Looking at the little beast who had just appeared out of nowhere and defended him, he grinned at the fox before he thought of how he could create vines to sprout up from the ground and protect him from enemies. Without another second passing, the twisted plants sprouted up around himself and his two friends, enclosing them in a safe cocoon. 

 

“Wow, that really is amazing. Unbelievable, in fact. Felix, you can ask him to put it down now.” Almost before he even thought about saying his command, the vines dropped beneath the earth once again as Mani began to scratch his ear with his back paw. 

 

Waiting for an explanation of the events that had just occurred, the boys stared at Jae who was laughing in disbelief. “Felix, let me tell you something, what you just did shouldn’t be possible. No Beast Master, at least that I’ve ever heard of, has ever managed to summon or give a command to a beast without verbally directing them to do so.”   
  


The boy couldn’t ever say that he had met or interacted with another Beast Master except for Jae so he never had anything to compare it to. What he did shouldn’t have been possible? Then how had he managed to do it? Picking up Mani as he hopped over to him, Felix turned to Woojin who was still staring with an uncertain gaze at the man who was waiting to go on with his explanation. 

 

“I think and this is only a theory, that the fact that you are scared of animals but managed to let one into your circle has allowed a bond so strong to form that Mani has actually tuned into your feelings and can sense them along with you. So, if you want him by your side, he will automatically pop up. If you want him to protect you, he will do so without hesitation, without an order. If you want him to come to your arms, he will gladly join you. This phobia that you have could be your greatest ally when trying to tame your beasts and could allow an incredible bond to form between you and whatever you decide to call. Pretty much every Beast Master I have ever met has loved animals but you are on the other end of the scale and that could be why you are the exception.” 

 

Seungmin grabbed his chin between his fingers, bobbing his head at Jae’s reasoning. He remembered asking Changbin back in Morthan, when they had been fighting the monsters in the stadium, why Mani was sitting on his shoulders instead of Felix’s, with the older boy shaking his head as an indication that he wasn’t quite sure. Maybe Felix had subconsciously wanted to protect Changbin and the little beast had picked up on that. Maybe Jae’s theory made a lot of sense. 

 

“You really think that’s why Mani is able to act without me giving him an order?” 

 

“Mm-hmm, I do. Let’s test it out again. Felix, I want you to think of another beast, a stronger one, something that you’ve never attempted to summon before. It can be whatever you want it to be.” 

 

Felix listed off numerous beasts within his head before his thoughts stopped on a Nokkedi, a spotted, feline monster about the size of a jaguar. It’s lilac fur was dotted with luminescent white spots that shimmered in the sunlight. He had the feeling that Jae was going to ask him to call one, even though the man hadn’t asked him straight out. He couldn’t say that he was all that thrilled about the idea since he hadn’t attempted to summon another beast other than Mani and that one very failed attempted when Changbin and Hyunjin had protected him against the Bafrer he had accidentally called. Thinking about the monster appearing in front of him, the familiar little specks began to rain from the sky and Felix gasped ever so slightly when the Nokkedi formed in front of him. Not quite sure of how to handle this, he started to back away before Jae outstretched his hand towards him. 

 

“Felix, look at me. Don’t move. Focus, I think you can do this. Silently give it a command. Go ahead.” 

  
Taking his advice on and feeling slightly at ease when he felt Seungmin and Woojin’s palms placed on the small of his back, he quietly asked the beast to blind the Goyogae that was now positioned in front of Jae with its bright spots. The Nokkedi glanced backwards towards Felix, making the boy’s breath hitch ever so slightly but when it turned back around and completed its task, Felix gasped in amazement. Socio was now whining on the ground, pawing at his eyes, obviously scared as to why he could no longer see. 

 

“Oh my god, it listened to me. The beast listened to my thoughts. It knew what I wanted it to do without me saying anything. That’s really weird.” 

 

“Felix, you are something special. That’s absolutely incredible.” Jae stood in amazement at the young boy’s abilities. If he was being honest with himself, he thought Felix might only be able to control the beasts that he managed to develop a relationship with over time but it seemed that it worked on ones that he had never even summoned before. This kid was a monster himself and he didn’t seem to realise it at all. 

 

“You’re going to have to think of a name for your new friend, Lix. He looks-”

 

“She.”

 

“What?”

 

“The Nokkedi is a she, Seungminnie. You said he.”

 

“Oh, right, sorry. You can already tell that?” 

 

“Yeah. I dunno why but it’s definitely a she.” 

 

Jae was going to hurt himself if he kept widening his eyes like this. He had already developed a bond with the Nokkedi? After one summoning? He could feel the flow between them? This was unnatural and something that he didn’t ever think was possible within the game. 

 

“Well, it seems my theory checks out. Felix, you should try and summon more monsters when you’re ready. I think since you formed a bond with Mani, even if it’s subconsciously, you don’t seem to be as frightened as you once were. I think that’s because of your own progress within yourself but I most definitely think it’s because of your friends too. They seem like they’re willing to protect you no matter what as well.” 

 

Jae nodded towards Seungmin and Woojin, who hadn’t left the young Beast Master’s side since the Goyogae had almost attacked. “Your friends seem to be an unseen strength for you. You immediately relaxed when they came to your side. That’s an important thing to remember when summoning your beasts, that your friends always have your back.” 

 

The freckled boy nodded, a bright smile tugging his lips upwards. He had managed to summon another beast, something other than Mani and she was still sitting in front of them, stretching her clawed paws out in front of her before settling on the ground. Mani squirmed in Felix’s arms, obviously wanting to be released and once he relaxed his grip on the fox, he hopped down and began to bounce over to the Nokkedi. Mani strolled up to the other beast, bopping his nose off of the other before a loud purr erupted from the large feline’s throat. 

  
“Well, they seem to be getting along. That could be because of you too, Lix,” Woojin smirked, congratulating the boy with a ruffle of his hair. Garnering a small laugh, Jae couldn’t help but admire the friendship between the boys and the brotherly bond they seemed to share, much like the one he shared with his own friends. 

 

“Well, I think that’s enough training for one day. You guys plan on leaving within the next couple of days, right? Felix, I can help you out a little before you go, if you’d like.” Jae smiled with his offer, holding up his hands to show that he wouldn’t pressure Felix into doing anything he wasn’t comfortable with. He already felt pretty bad for almost attacking the boy to test out his theory. 

 

“I think that would be alright, hyung. I would like that.” 

 

Felix sent his two beasts away with a small nod of his head, both evaporating into dust and floating towards the darkening sky, little stars forming across the dusk. He thought that even though he was separated from the rest of his friends, falling through the portal, next to Jae and his friends, mightn’t have been the worst thing that could have happened to him. In fact, he thought himself rather fortunate. 

 

* * *

 

“You know you are the biggest idiot in the entire world? And not just in Phantasm either, I’m talking about the real world too. That’s a lot of idiots, Jisung and yet, somehow, you managed to be the biggest one out of all of them!” 

 

The Thief sunk back into his chair as he finally felt the brunt of Changbin’s annoyance. He knew it was coming, the elder boy had been way too quiet about this whole ordeal since he had woken up. 

 

The Medic had been so overjoyed when Minho had come running to interrupt the conversation he had been having with Namjoon and Jimin, out of breath and panting that Jisung had finally awoken. He had sprinted back to the room with the older boy, stopping in the doorway where he saw Jisung quietly counting on his fingers and began to wonder what the hell he was doing. 

 

“Ah, Minho, I got to thirty seven. That’s thirty seven times you have to buy me food. I kinda feel sorry for you n- ah, Changbinnie hyung. Hi…” 

 

It took all of two seconds before Changbin had his arms wrapped around Jisung’s shoulders, his head buried in the crook of the younger boy’s neck, strained tears breaking free at the sight of his best friend finally coming back to them. 

 

“Hyung, shh, don’t cry. I’m alright. Changbinnie hyung, come on,” Jisung chuckled, rubbing comforting fingers on the back of the elder’s neck. 

 

“Shut up, Jisung. You need to let me have this. I was so freaking worried that you wouldn’t-” Shivers wracked Changbin’s body once again before Jisung tightened his embrace on his friend and let his chin rest on his trembling shoulder. They stayed like this for a few moments, with Minho keeping a watchful eye over them, a familiar sense of fondness spreading through him. 

 

Perhaps it was because Jisung was in such a bad place after Minho had left that Changbin had held back on scolding him but he was now doing a lot better and it seemed that the Medic had finally decided to unleash his anger about how Jisung had kept everything from them. 

 

“Did you seriously not trust enough to tell us about Gyujin? What the hell did you think we were going to say to you? That we didn’t want you around us anymore? Christ, Jisung, I’m still so pissed about all of this!” Changbin grabbed at his hair in frustration, not letting go of the anger that had been building up over the last few days. 

 

“Changbinnie, don’t you think you’re being a little-”

 

“And don’t  _ even  _ get me started on you, hyung! I cannot  _ believe  _ you would hide something like that from all of us! We’re family! We don’t keep secrets like this from each other. Well, at least the two of you are perfect for each other in that regard! Being so god damn taciturn that you couldn’t even let me know about what was eating away at both of you!” 

 

Minho and Jisung sat side by side, feeling a little bit like they were kids being scolded by their parent; not that either knew that particular feeling very well, this was just what they imagined it would be like. 

 

Placing his hands on his hips as he stared at the radiant flames, Changbin tried to calm himself, not particularly succeeding. “You two are the most frustrating people I have ever met, seriously.” 

 

“But you still love us, right, hyung?”  

 

The look that Jisung received in response made him lower his eyes instantly. “Ah, we’re not ready to joke about this yet? Alrighty then…”

 

Minho stifled a laugh, earning him yet another unimpressed look from the Medic. Why were the two of them like this? After all they had just gone through and they weren’t taking what he was saying seriously at all. Well, nothing new there. 

 

“Either of you ever keep something like this from me ever again and I will make your lives miserable. That isn’t a meaningless threat, it’s a promise.” 

 

Both boys nodded their heads, knowing by the look in Changbin’s eyes that he was most certainly not joking and had the power to make them wish they had never been born. 

 

“Hyung, listen, maybe our secrets were pretty huge-”

 

“Yeah, no shit, Jisung!”

 

“But it’s not like you don’t keep secrets too! I mean, how long have you had the biggest crush on Lix and not said anything to him?”

 

“Congratulations, I think you’ve found the world’s thinnest argument! Well, jokes on you, Jisung because I already told him how I felt about him!” In his urgency to bite back, Changbin didn’t really think about what was leaving his mouth. Only when he saw the other’s heads snap up did he realise what he had blurted out. 

  
“Ah, shit…”   
  


“You did what?! You finally told him?! I’d like to thank god for giving Changbin hyung the strength to finally step up and be a man!” 

 

“Do you really wanna go back to the state you were in, Jisung? Cause I will beat the crap out of you in the mood I’m in.” Raising his fist above his head, Changbin advanced towards the Thief before he quickly cowered in genuine fear and zipped behind Minho for some defence. 

 

“Are you just going to hide behind your boyfriend every time you get scared now?” 

 

“He’s not my- ah, I’ve become so used to you teasing me about liking Minho that I automatically deny it. Yes, hyung, I am going to!” Jisung giggled before Minho whipped around to look at him. 

 

“You got used to it? Why? How long have you liked me?” 

 

“Uh, let me think. I think since you saved me from the Gollias.” 

 

“That was literally the first time we met!” Minho yelled as he threw his arms in the air, obviously shocked that Jisung had been harbouring feelings for him for such a lengthy amount of time. 

 

“ _ Technically  _ it wasn’t the first time. The first time we met was when you snuck into my room and nearly-”

 

“Ah! Let’s not talk about that anymore, alright?” 

 

Changbin shook his already tousled hair at the boys’ dramatics. Ok, he admitted it, he may have been stupid enough not to realise that Felix felt the exact same way about him but if he was anything like these two, then he must have really looked like an idiot to the others when it was so blatantly obvious to them. 

 

“Why, Minho? When did you realise that you liked me?” 

 

“I think when we came back from scouting Siwan’s house? But it really hit me when we were on the beach together, I guess. I’m glad it all worked out in the end.” Minho smiled and bent down to peck Jisung’s nose, garnering a rather wide, toothy grin from the younger boy.

 

“Oh, god, I need to leave really quickly before I barf everywhere. You guys are unbelievable. You don’t even care that I’m standing right here trying to yell at you! Ah, I wanna get back to the others so bad.” 

 

“To see Lix?”

 

“Yeah, to see- Minho hyung!” Jisung didn’t have the time or strength to get up to follow the older boys as Changbin murderously chased the Tracker down the hall. Climbing into his comfy armchair again, he reclined and stared at the wooden ceiling. He chuckled at Minho’s words. He was also rather glad that everything had all worked out in the end. 

 

* * *

 

“So, Yedam, this village is pretty small. How do you keep yourself busy? Other than running this place that is.” 

 

After finishing their meal, Hyunjin sat back with a content sigh, patting his full stomach and throwing a grateful smile towards the boy as Chan asked him the question. He knew pretty much nothing about him except that he was a Necromancer but now he could say for certain that he was one hell of a cook as well. 

 

“Writing. Going for walks. Reading. Um, I don’t really know. Just going around doing day to day tasks I guess.” 

 

“That doesn’t sound like very much fun.” 

 

Yedam looked at Jeongin square on before letting out a little incredulous huff. Obviously he knew that how he spent his days in Phantasm wasn’t fun but what could he do about it when nobody would even talk to him because they were so terrified of what he could do? They never took the time to see that they misunderstood his powers because of the baseless rumours that always went around about Necromancers. They assumed what he was like but couldn’t conceive the possibility that they might be wrong. Talking with his new guests was the first decent interaction he had in months, only speaking with others when shopkeepers had to ask him for money for his purchases or random travellers stayed at his inn, though they were never too interested in speaking with the management, keeping to themselves and conversing with their travelling companions.  

 

“I didn’t say my life was fun now, did I?” Yedam growled a little too harshly and once he saw the startled look on Jeongin’s face, he regretted taking his anger about his situation out on the slightly older boy. He thought that this was probably another reason that people stayed away from him. 

 

“Sorry, that was impolite. I didn’t mean to snap. You can see why people don’t like talking to me. I know I live a very banal life but it’s not something I can really control. I can’t just up and leave by myself without anyone to travel with. I don’t mind being on my own, in fact, I rather prefer it sometimes. I really just plan on waiting here until someone beats the game and gets all of us out of here.” 

 

“Wow, your life really  _ is  _ dull.” 

 

Three boys whipped their head around to stare at Jeongin as he slurped up the last string of pasta on his plate. He thought that Yedam’s cooking was pretty great and seemed to add to the little energy that remained within in him. Wiping his mouth on his napkin, he tilted his head when he saw the stares upon him. 

 

“What?”   


“Uh, Innie, that was kind of rude,” Hyunjin stated, obviously rattled at the younger boy’s behaviour towards their gracious host. 

 

“I’m just saying that there is so much to do in this world and sometimes you have to get out there and make stuff happen for yourself. There are people in Phantasm who don’t care about what class you have. None of my friends cared that I was a Necromancer and we don’t care that you’re one either. I don’t think you’re a discourteous person either. You offered to let us stay here and even cooked for us, so that theory of yours about why people won’t talk to you is kind of invalid too. The reason your days are so boring is because you won’t venture outside of your comfort zone. Maybe you should fix that.” 

 

Yedam looked on in disbelief as Jeongin began to place his used cutlery on his plate. He thought that this guy really didn’t hold back on saying what he truly thought, even if it was to a stranger he had just met. He couldn’t say that he didn’t have a point; Yedam knew that the reason he stayed in a constant cycle of doing the same thing every day was because he decided on that himself. He was scared of change. He was safe here and if he were to leave, then things might be different. 

 

“Innie…”

 

“You’re right.” 

 

Chan and Hyunjin turned around to stare at the youngest boy as they had been sitting there falling under the tension that flew between the others. They were afraid Jeongin’s comments may have stirred up some anger within Yedam but it seemed that he had taken Jeongin’s words to heart. 

 

“I know I should try to mend how my life is here but I’m nervous. What am I supposed to do? I can’t travel by myself in a world this dangerous. What? Would you want to travel with the likes of me?”

 

“I don’t mind. If you want to, you can.” 

 

“What?”

 

“What?” 

 

“What?”   
  


Hyunjin and Chan felt like they were watching a game of tennis the way their heads kept switching between the two boys on the opposite ends of the table. Had Jeongin just asked the boy they had barely known more than a couple of hours if he wanted to join their group? 

 

“That’s not a very funny joke.” 

 

“I wasn’t joking. Travelling with my friends has brought me out of myself and maybe it could do that for you too.” 

 

Yedam quickly let his gaze jump to Chan and Hyunjin on either side of him, clearly stunned at Jeongin’s offer before he giggled at the looks on their faces. “I don’t think your friends are very eager to let me into your group after knowing me for only a short amount of time. You seem like nice people but I’m not and I don’t plan on ruining the perfect little dynamic you guys have got going on.” 

 

Chan felt some sort of familiarity in the way that Yedam spoke about himself. He couldn’t help but see the similarities between Yedam’s frame of mind and Minho’s. Neither of them seemed to think they were worth anything, that they weren’t decent people but Chan had a knack for telling when someone had a good heart and he knew that Yedam was definitely a sweet kid. Sighing and conceding slight defeat at Jeongin’s fixed stare upon him, Chan looked at the youngest boy with pity. 

 

“You wouldn’t ruin it, Yedam. If you truly wanted someone to travel with, then you could certainly try travelling with us if you would like. You don’t have to but the Jeongin’s offer is open if you would.”

 

Yedam gulped down hard, unwilling to believe kind people like them would ever want someone like him in their group. “I-I’ll consider it. I think I’d rather stay here to be honest but thank you anyways.”

 

“That’s alright. Yedam, we wouldn’t expect you to want to travel with strangers you just met. Don’t worry.” Reaching over, Chan patted his shoulder soothingly to let him know that none of them would be offended in not taking up their offer. 

 

Almost as if it saw the chance to break the tension within the room, one of Jeongin’s wisps came flying towards him to land directly in the centre of his plate. Gasping, he leapt up from his seat to grab the little wisp as the other boys stared on with hope in their eyes but remaining firmly in their seats. 

 

“Innie, whose is it?!” Hyunjin hollered, bouncing up and down excitedly at another of the Necromancer’s ghosts finally returning. 

 

“It’s Jisungie hyung’s wisp. Hold on, I’ll retrieve the message now.” However, when Jeongin asked the little light for the Thief’s words, all that filled the air was static. No message, nothing but silence, nothing at all. Jeongin let his head fall to the side, unsure what was happening. The wisps had told him that he was alive and knew that they wouldn’t return unless he had sent the wisp back himself or he had…

 

Jeongin felt fear flood his body, thinking that it wasn’t possible that Jisung could have been taken away from them in the amount of time since he had sent out the message. No, no, no. That wasn’t possible. 

 

“Innie? Why isn’t anything happening?” 

 

He didn’t know how to tell Hyunjin about the possibilities of why Jisung’s wisp had come back with no message. He stared at him with watery eyes and saw both boys’ expressions shift to ones of understanding. Before any of them could worry about the Thief’s state any further, the final one of Jeongin’s wisps landed directly on top of his head, it’s gentle flame causing his locks to flow outwards ever so gently. 

 

“That’s Minho hyung’s wisp? Straight behind Jisungie’s? Innie, quick, get the message!” Hyunjin yelled. 

 

Fumbling with the ghost on his head with trembling fingers, Jeongin whispered sweet words to make the light shift colour to the blazing orange he had become so used to seeing. 

 

_ “Hi, Innie, or whoever it is that gets this. I’m not really sure what way these little things work. I hope you guys are doing alright.”  _

 

Minho. Minho was safe. Chan felt a surge of happiness attack his calm heart as he leapt up from his seated position at the table, startling Yedam in the process. The boy had seen the look on the other’s face once before, when Hyunjin had yelled down the stairs that one of Jeongin’s wisps had returned earlier. It showed the Necromancer just how much his friends truly meant to him and that their safety was his most important priority. Yedam began to wonder what that would be like, to have someone in this world care about you that much. He shook his head to focus back in on the message that the little wisp was spilling from its flames. 

 

_ “Before I let you know anything else, I’m going to tell you why Jisung’s wisp didn’t send back a message. It’s because we thought we should just do one message together, he’s here with me.” _

 

“Oh, fucking hell. Thank god! That little shit. Why didn’t he send one back by himself anyways! He just about scared the crap out of me!” 

 

Yedam wasn’t quite sure what was happening but he was sure he could guess a little bit even without context as he listened to Hyunjin’s crass words of relief. 

 

_ “Hey, Jisung, say something so they know I’m not making this up.” _

 

When no sound came from the ghost, the boys looked to each other with confusion falling upon their faces. Only when they heard little giggles in the background of the message did they realise that Jisung was being quiet of his own volition. Jisung was laughing. He was laughing, something that Hyunjin thought he may never hear again after Minho had left and the Thief had been taken away from them. 

 

_ “God dammit, Jisung. I don’t know if they completely trust me again yet! Don’t make them doubt me. Say something to them, you ass!”  _ Small apologies fell from the Thief’s mouth as they heard little slaps coming into contact with what they could only assume was Jisung’s skin. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the two boys had reconciled and after everything they had been through, Chan was glad that their relationship seemed to have been mended, even if it was just a little bit. 

 

_ “Ah, ah, Min! I’m still sore! Quit hitting me! Channie hyung, you’re gonna have to make sure to punish Minho a lot when we get back to you. He’s so cruel. After all the work that Changbinnie hyung did to heal me up and you’re just making more work for him.”  _

 

Jeongin gasped, nearly knocking his china plate on the ground in his urgency to drag the little wisp closer to his ears to see if he had heard correctly. He managed to grab it before it slid off the table, with Yedam throwing the young boy a rather unimpressed look before Jeongin bowed deeply in apology. 

 

_ “Yeah, I’m here as well, not that it matters to these two. Haven’t stopped making out since they finally pulled their heads out of their asses and confessed. Ow, fuck, Jisung. That hurt! I can heal people but I can also beat the shit out of them too! So, watch yourself!”  _

 

“Huh? Making out? Confessed? Is Changbin hyung saying what I think he’s saying? You mean they…?” Jeongin looked to his hyungs for answers, beginning to laugh ecstatically at the thought of Minho and Jisung not only going back to being friends but something more. 

 

“Ah, so all it took to get them to confess was unbelievable peril, eh? Same for Changbin hyung and Lix hyung? And we know that Channie hyung and Woojinnie hyung are together. Guess that only leaves one more pair to gather up the courage to talk about their feelings, huh, Hyunjinnie hyung?” 

 

The Alchemist was full on ready to jump across the table to get to Jeongin but when he saw the warning look on Yedam’s face, trying to convey that he shouldn’t damage any of his furniture because of a little teasing, he immediately sat back down. 

 

Chan’s head fell into his palms at the boys’ unbelievable relationship, even when the others were trying to deliver a rather important message. The Knight couldn’t believe their luck. Nine of their members were safe and none of them were on their own. That only left…

 

_ “Ah, Yukhei was here too but he already left. Said he wanted to get back to Morthan as quickly as possible to meet up with his friends. He also said that if he could locate Jaebum hyung and the others that he would let them know what happened and that we were safe.” _

 

No way. There was no way that all of them had managed to get out of a situation like that without anybody getting killed. It seemed to good to be true. Minho and Jisung had been the ones who had been subjected to Gyujin’s torture the most and from the sounds of their voices, they seemed to be ok. They had made it out and Chan couldn’t help but think that this incredible luck of theirs would have to run out sometime. Or maybe it didn’t. Maybe they were an anomaly within the normality of life. 

 

_ “Yeah, yeah, hyung. I heard you, I’ll ask him. Innie, will you please let us know if you hear from the others. I know you said they were alive but if I hear Changbin hyung moan about not knowing how Lix is doing I am going to scream. Don’t you dare hit me, hyung! We all know how you feel about him so sit down and shut up! Jeez, why did I fall through with these two? They are insufferable! Ah, no, Min! Don’t take the wisp away from me! Give it back! God...”  _

 

Chan laughed as the volume of Jisung’s voice momentarily decreased and knew that Minho had, in fact, tried to steal the little ghost from his grasp. 

 

_ “I wanted to say something before I sent this little guy back to you. Thank you for coming to save me. I didn’t want you to put yourselves in danger because of me but if you hadn’t come, I think I would have- well, I don’t think I would still be here. Thank you for going to get Minho too, I know you guys mightn’t have found me without his help. Seriously, I love all of you so much and the fact that you would do something like that for me, it makes me unbelievably happy. I’m feeling a lot better now, so don’t worry about me. Min and Changbinnie hyung have been looking after me really well. So, I better go now if this is taking up Innie’s energy. We’ll stay here another day or two but we’ll start heading back to Haknal just like you guys said. We’re in  _ _ Ourlo, so it will take a little while to get back, especially with me not fully recovered yet but we will try to hurry. I want to hug all of you guys really badly! The others say that they will see you soon too. Bye guys!”  _

 

Falling back to the soft blue Jeongin was so accustomed to, the little wisp was sent away, along with Jisung’s who had come back without a message. A sense of calm and serenity flooded the room and Yedam was unsure why he felt so relieved that their friends were all safe when he himself had never met any of them before. He sighed happily at the looks on the older boys’ features but was quick on his feet when he noticed the familiar look on the other Necromancer’s face. Bolting out of his chair, he managed to catch the falling Jeongin before he could come into contact with the ground. Neither Chan nor Hyunjin had noticed the change in the boy since they had been so busy relishing in the delight of hearing their members were safe but Yedam had; perhaps that was only because he had experienced over exerting himself with his own wisps before. 

 

The Knight and Alchemist were on their feet in seconds, grateful towards Yedam for sensing that Jeongin had finally used up the extent of his energy and passed out. The younger Necromancer held the other close, pushing his soft bangs away from his eyes and smiling at the content look on the boy’s face, despite being knocked out cold. 

 

“Is he alright?” Chan questioned worriedly as he came up behind Yedam, Hyunjin following immediately. 

 

“He’s fine. You might want to get his bed ready for him, I think he’s pretty much out for the night.” Chan nodded at the order, pulling Hyunjin along with him up the stairs to make sure Jeongin would be as comfortable as possible before they laid him down to sleep.

 

Rubbing comforting circles into the sleeping boy’s back as he waited for the others to return, Yedam couldn’t help but keep on smiling as the other Necromancer grasped onto the front of his shirt, even in his sleep. “I have come to the conclusion that you, Yang Jeongin, are a very strange one indeed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Yedam far too much. (Just felt the need to throw that in there) See you all next week and thank you for reading!


	32. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Hope you guys are doing well. I don't have many notes for this chapter. No warnings or anything. See? I can do it! I can make them safe and happy for a while! Enjoy!

Waking up to a soothing coolness across his head, Jeongin began to scrunch up his nose as the dim light flowing in from outside hit his eyes. From what he could tell, he was lying in bed but didn’t quite remember how he managed to end up there. He had fallen through the portal and found Hyunjin and Chan. He had sent out wisps to find the others. He had been extremely tired but they had managed to find their way to an inn owned by Yedam and after that…

 

Jeongin jumped up from the bed, worried that he couldn’t seem to remember if he had gone to sleep himself or passed out. He clutched onto the wrinkled blankets underneath himself and began to scan the room around him. 

 

“Jeez, you scared me. Is that how you always wake up? If so, that would make you weirder than you already are.”

 

Following the voice, Jeongin glanced at Yedam who was sitting close to the bed, grasping a damp cloth in his hand, obviously trying to keep the older Necromancer’s temperature down after he had passed out. 

 

“What happened? Did I faint? I didn’t, right? That would mean I have to send out the wisps again!” 

 

“Woah, what are you talking about? All of your wisps came back, Jeongin.” 

 

Memories of yesterday slowly started to flow back to the boy as he remembered the dinner he had shared with the others and how all of his wisps had indeed returned home with messages to say that all of his members were safe and with one another. Letting go of a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding in, Jeongin placed a hand over his heart, begging it to return to a normal pace when he realised that his panic had been for naught. 

 

“So, what are you doing here then?”

 

“Chan hyung and Hyunjin hyung went to the village to get some supplies. They told me that they would cook for us tonight before you guys head on your way tomorrow. So, they asked me to take care of you while they were out.” 

 

Squinting his eyes at the younger boy, Jeongin couldn’t help but ponder over an interesting point that had caught his attention as Yedam spoke. 

 

“So, you’ve started calling both of them ‘hyung’ too, huh?” 

 

“Yeah, they told me to after I helped them get you into bed last night. Why? Do you have a problem with that?” 

 

Shaking his head at the question, Jeongin couldn’t help but scratch his nose as Yedam continued to refer to him without any honorifics. “No, I don’t have a problem with it but you know, I’m older than you too. How come you don’t call me hyung?”

 

“Hmm, don’t feel like it.” 

 

Well, that settled that. Jeongin glared at the other, a devilish smile tugging the younger boy’s lips upwards. Jeongin could only assume that this was payback for speaking so freely to Yedam the previous night, telling him that his life was boring and that he should do something about it. He wasn’t quite sure what had come over him in that moment, he never felt such confidence when speaking to a stranger before but he felt unusually comfortable around Yedam and he had to wonder if that was simply because they held the same class or something else. 

 

“If you feel up to it, you can come downstairs for breakfast. Well, more like lunch at this stage. It’s almost noon. Talk about lazy, you slept nearly fifteen hours.”

 

Karma really was a bitch. This was what Jeongin got for speaking to the younger boy so casually last night. Yedam was talking to Jeongin like they had known each other for years but what rattled the older Necromancer even more was that he didn’t feel uneasy or awkward with how casually they were conversing. If Yedam didn’t want to call him hyung, that was fine, he wouldn’t hold it against him. 

 

“I slept that long because the wisps drained all of my energy. Out of everyone in Phantasm, you should be able to understand that!” 

 

“Oh, don’t compare me to your dumb ass. I never let myself get to that stage. You just went and over exerted yourself because you took on more than you could handle. I know my limits.” 

 

“Hey, moron, I know mine too but my friend’s lives were at stake and I needed to make sure all of them were safe as fast as possible! How can you not understand something like that?” 

 

“Not all of us are lucky enough to have friends like yours in this world, Jeongin!” 

 

That shut him up. Jeongin had heard from Yedam himself about how he was alone in this world, how he had spent so many months in solitude because of his class. If there was one thing that Jeongin could relate to, this was it. The weeks he had spent in Siwan’s house, when nobody would speak to him, they were agonising. Jeongin wasn’t an overly outgoing person by anyone’s standards but he always made an effort to try and be sociable around new people. In Aquiria, he had been shunned by everyone and couldn’t truly understand why until he got a better grasp of his powers. Then he quickly came to the conclusion why people avoided him. He desperately tried to engage in conversation with others in the house, even with Seungmin before the boy completely ignored him and walked away; though, he knew now that wasn’t because of his class but because Seungmin had a problem with trusting others due to his own past in the real world and the torture he had endured at the hands of Siwan. He had suffered alone for weeks and thought it was unbearable but Yedam had endured the suffocating solitude for months and Jeongin wondered how he hadn’t gone completely insane yet. 

 

“Y-you’re right. Sorry, that was insensitive of me.”

 

Letting his anger fall through his clenched teeth, Yedam began to soften when he saw the regret etched on the older boy’s face. Biting his tongue and scolding himself for overreacting, Yedam sighed heavily before shaking his head slightly. “Don’t worry about it. I think I’ve forgotten how to act civilly around people. It’s been a while since anyone has wanted to talk to me, especially someone so close to the same age as me.” 

 

“Well, maybe we should fix that.” 

 

Raising his eyes but not his head, Yedam glanced at a grinning Jeongin through his looming bangs. “What do you mean?” 

 

“You’re still set on staying here? You don’t plan on coming with us, right?” 

 

Returning his gaze to his shoes, Yedam let his sneakers scrape off of the wooden floor as he absentmindedly played with a loose piece of skin beside his thumbnail. “I don’t think so. Don’t think I would feel very comfortable being involved in a group that big so quickly.” 

 

“Alright. Hey, Yedam, that’s ok. I’m not going to try and force you to do something you don’t want to but I think we can remedy your loneliness in another way. You can use wisps too, right?” 

 

“Mm-hmm.”

 

“Well, what would you think about sending messages to each other every so often? Just to chat and tell each other about what we’re up to?” 

 

Yedam finally sat up straighter at the mention of Jeongin’s idea, tilting his head to the side like an inquisitive child. It was a thought that had occurred to the older Necromancer when they had eaten dinner together the previous night. Maybe Yedam wouldn’t want to leave his safe haven and venture into a very dangerous world outside because danger was one thing that Jeongin and his hyungs always seemed to have chasing them. However, that didn’t mean that they would have to leave Yedam by himself. Jeongin could send out wisps to deliver messages to Yedam, to make sure he was doing well and that, if he ever changed his mind about travelling with them, he could send a wisp to Jeongin to let him know and they would come back for him. 

 

“That...I would be ok with that. Plus, since we’re both Necromancers, we can share the burden of lending energy to the wisps.”

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“If two Necromancers send messages to one another through the wisps, the spirits draw energy from both of them since we’re connected. It halves the burden on the messenger with the one they’re sending the message to. Did you not know that?”

 

Jeongin shook his head defeatedly as he shielded his eyes from the sunlight now blazing through the open window. How was he supposed to know something like that when he had never sent a message to another Necromancer, when he had only learned how to use the wisps for that purpose only a couple of days ago? Then again, Yedam had said that he had never come into contact with another Necromancer before either but he also had a hell of a lot more time to learn about his class, having spent close to seven months in Phantasm. 

 

“Well, you wouldn’t feel as tired when sending a wisp to me, so you wouldn’t pass out like such a weakling the next time.” 

 

Quickly opening his mouth to protest, Jeongin realised that Yedam was simply trying to goad him into another playful bickering match. The younger boy would not get a rise out of him this time; Jeongin was going to be the bigger man, no matter how badly he wanted to say something smart back to him. 

 

“By the way, since you seem to be so wildly uneducated about your class-”

 

Jeongin made a move to slap Yedam but swung a little too slowly and nearly managed to fall out of the bed he was still situated in as the younger boy scooted backwards in his chair.

 

“You probably didn’t know that Necromancer’s can converse in real time through the wisps too. If I send a wisp to you, the ghost will alert me that it’s reached you and we can talk as if we were standing beside each other.” 

 

“Wow! Seriously? That’s super cool! Huh, I may need you to teach me a thing or two before we leave tomorrow. Ok then, we will keep in touch once Channie hyung, Hyunjinnie hyung and I head out to find our friends. Oh, I will have to send messages to the two groups again today to let them know the others are safe and together.”

 

“You’re sending them out again? Man, you really didn’t learn your lesson yesterday, did you?”

 

“I’m only sending out two this time and I won’t be leaving this inn so I will have you to take care of me, Yedam, to make sure I don’t do anything too strenuous.” Catching the younger boy off guard, Jeongin managed to pinch one of his cheeks as he cooed but this earned him a rather sizable wollap from Yedam, who became exceedingly embarrassed at finally being treated like a child.  

 

“Nope, I am not teaching you anything nor am I looking after you anymore, Jeongin. Suffer on your own!” 

 

“Yedamie! Don’t be like that!” Jeongin hopped out of bed to follow Yedam out of the room, throwing his jacket over his shoulders to fight off the chill that surrounding him after leaving the toasty bed. Managing to catch up with the younger boy, Jeongin secured his arm around Yedam’s shoulders before he was lead to the kitchen to finally fill his empty stomach. Sending out his wisps could wait until later. Now, he was going to try and help Yedam feel like he wasn’t completely alone in this world anymore. 

 

* * *

 

“So, what do we think happened exactly?”

 

Gathered around the small table within Jisung’s room, Minho stared at the other two boys across from him. They decided that they would be leaving Namjoon’s house the following day as Changbin seemed satisfied that Jisung could endure travelling again. He may not have been entirely healed, his energy taking an substantial beating after everything that had happened with Minho and Gyujin but his friends would aid him if he needed it along the way; they just wanted to get back to Haknal as quickly as possible. 

 

“No idea. One minute we were standing in the middle of the arena, ready to receive our prizes and the next thing I was flat on my back before all of those beasts came through. Talk about a shit storm,” Changbin muttered, stretching his arms to the ceiling above. 

 

“Yukhei told me a little bit about what he heard about through town before Innie came to find me. Sounded like an absolute nightmare.” Minho used his free hand to rub his sleepy eyes, his other being firmly secured in Jisung’s fingers underneath the table. 

 

“Who is this Yukhei guy you keep talking about?” 

 

“Just a friend of mine, Jisung. He came along to help save you. He was actually after Gyujin’s bounty too, though he told me he didn’t want it in the end either.” 

 

“So, he was a Tracker like you?” 

 

“No, an Assassin.”

 

Minho could say with certainty that he had never seen anyone do a spit take before but Changbin’s was definitely a sight to behold. Coughing and wiping away the water that was now dripping from the corners of his mouth, the Medic stared at the Tracker with an incredulous glint in his eyes. 

 

“Yukhei was an Assassin?! That happy-go-lucky, hyper child? You’ve got to be kidding me!” 

 

“Well, how did you think I knew him? You guys were the first friends I had that didn’t hold a class similar to mine.” 

 

“Shit, I never would have guessed. I suppose I probably should have with the way he attacked those guys.” 

 

Snickering at Changbin’s gobsmacked expression, Minho swayed Jisung’s hand as it still held onto his own. “There were a lot of beasts in the arena then? How did Lix handle that? Was he alright? He must have been really scared.”

 

“Lix was extraordinary,” Changbin sighed, a tired smile pulling his lips upwards as he thought of how amazing Felix had been dealing with the bedlam of the arena.

 

“He changed into a completely different person. He called Mani out and helped so many people get safely out of the arena. You would have been incredibly proud of him, hyung.” 

 

Grinning a little at Chanbin’s fond smile, Minho couldn’t help but notice the way the Medic’s whole disposition changed when he talked about Felix. He could have teased him about it, could have made a million jokes that preyed on his obvious love for the other but thought that he mustn’t look much different when it came to talking about Jisung. Tilting his head slightly, Minho realised that he didn’t quite understand everything that Changbin had just explained. 

 

“Mani?”

 

“His little Chiyeou, that’s what he called him.” 

 

“How cute. Just like Lix, eh, Changbinnie?” 

 

If looks could kill, Minho would already be buried in the ground. He could see that Changbin wanted nothing more than to get up and smack him repeatedly but also that he didn’t particularly have the energy to do so. Resting his chin on his folded arms, Changbin let his eyes wander to the surrounding hills outside, the raindrops on the window obscuring his view ever so slightly. 

 

“I hope he’s alright…”

 

“Hyung, Lix will be fine. He’s strong, no matter how weak he thinks he is himself. He has Mani to help him and Innie said that he was alive.” Jisung rubbed a comforting hand up and down the Medic’s arm, trying to alleviate the obvious distress in the older boy’s heart.

 

“Right. Changbinnie, didn’t you just say that Lix was amazing in the arena? Have a little faith in him. You don’t know that he fell through by himself either. Maybe he was lucky enough to find someone else from our group. Stop worrying or I will have to tell him all about this when we meet back up with him,” Minho promised, fingers dancing on top of Changbin’s.

 

“We will just have to wait for him to send another wisp back to tell us about Lix, Seungminnie and Woojinnie hyung. I’m sure they’re all safe, don’t worry.” 

 

Changbin thought that both boys had always been good at cheering their members up when they were feeling a little down but when they were together, they were a force to be reckoned with. They made very reasonable points; he knew that Felix was more than likely fine since Jeongin had promised that he was still in this world. He wasn’t a weakling, he could defend himself and Changbin would be an idiot if he disagreed with any of that. 

  
It was always something that Felix used to attack himself with. He had come to Changbin on a few occasions because of the bond they had shared, even before they had confessed their feelings for one another and told him all about his insecurities. The young Beast Master had even debated on whether or not he actually deserved to be travelling with their group, something which always made anger surge through Changbin’s body. Assessing his own weaknesses and comparing himself to the other boys in his group was something that Felix couldn’t seem to go for long without doing. The nights when Changbin had to comfort him and let him know that he was more than deserving of receiving their companionship and care were difficult to endure. He hated seeing the boy he loved doubt himself like that but he had always let him know that he was as strong as the rest of them, if not more because of the way he faced his fears to protect all of them. More reassuring words and cuddles usually followed, Changbin always letting the younger boy fall asleep against his chest to share the burden of his worries. Felix had constantly asked him to keep their shared time between the two of them; he knew the others would fuss over him and worry were they to find out what he really thought about himself but Changbin’s encouragement and comfort always made him feel better about himself in the end.  

 

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. He can take care of himself. We’ll wait for Innie’s wisp and I know there will be good news coming along with it,” Changbin chirped, thanking his friends with a smile for their words of encouragement.   

 

Satisfied that Changbin wouldn’t be _excessively_ worrying about Felix anymore, Minho turned his attention back to their previous topic of conversation. Meeting eyes with the other silent boy beside him, Minho rested his cheek on his palm, gazing lovingly at Jisung. 

 

“So, after the beasts came through, what happened to you?” 

 

The Thief rubbed the back of his head, almost as if he was trying to dislodge the memories that had become a little jumbled up thanks to the events that had recently occured. 

 

“I was fighting with Innie, Channie hyung and Woojinnie hyung. I defeated a few monsters, some strong ones, you would have been really proud of me, Min,” Jisung gloated, puckering his lips towards Minho, looking awfully triumphant as if looking for a reward but before Minho could make a move, Changbin’s palm landed in front of his eyes, an obvious deterrent from giving the Thief what he wanted. 

 

“I was helping someone up off of the ground, Woojinnie hyung and Channie hyung were fighting a few meters away and I saw Innie controlling his Poltergeist-”

 

“Innie can control a Poltergeist now?! Wow, that kid is incredible!”

 

“Do you want to know about what happened to me or not?” 

 

Minho quickly shut his mouth after being scolded for interrupting by Jisung, earning him a small giggle from Changbin, the Medic obviously being amused that the Thief would forever hold a weird sort of power over Minho after everything they had gone through together. 

 

“As far as I can remember, I felt a knock to the back of my head before I was being pulled up and dragged somewhere.There was this weird, bitter wind around my face before I passed out.”

 

“Probably you being pulled through the portal by that woman, that’s what the wind was.”

 

“Possibly. After that...I’d rather not talk about what they did to me before you came to find me, I don’t want to start thinking about it again…” It didn’t seem to matter that Gyujin was no longer around, he still held a strange sort of hold over his younger brother as Jisung’s eyes clouded over and his hands began to tremble ever so slightly. 

 

Changbin immediately scooted his chair around the table, letting it fall beside Jisung’s own before taking his other hand in his and gently brushing his thumb over the youngest boy’s knuckles. “It’s ok, Jisungie. If you don’t wanna talk about it, you don’t have to but know that the both of us are here if you ever need to. You sure you’re alright?” 

 

Escaping from his thoughts, Jisung nodded solemnly before flashing a smile towards both of them. “I’m alright now that you guys managed to find me and keep me safe. The two of you were always super good at that. I’ll think of a way to repay all of you someday, I promise.” 

 

Both boys automatically rushed to say something like that was unnecessary before Jisung held up a finger to silence them, letting them know that it was not something that was up for debate. 

 

“Still, that leaves the question of why those fuckers even set up the tournament for in the first place.” 

 

Changbin was beginning to get more and more agitated at the thoughts of the spectral judges that they had been in front of a couple of days ago. Jisung had mentioned that Gyujin had admitted that he had nothing to do with the chaos in the arena since Minho had mentioned that it might have been a possibility. Maybe he had been lying but it would have been such a trivial thing to deny. Changbin didn’t think that Gyujin had anything to with the disaster of the tournament closing ceremony. No, he was sure that those running Phantasm had set the entire thing up. 

 

They had created this competition with the mindset that, even though they had named out the prizes up for grabs, none of the competitors would be receiving any of them. They had sent the beasts in themselves and when they saw the chance, they disappeared, unwilling to face the wrath of the snubbed competitors. But the question of why still remained. 

 

“Maybe their objective really was what they said it was.”

 

“What do you mean, hyung?”

 

“They said at the beginning that the point of the tournament was to identify the strongest team within Phantasm. Maybe they truly wanted to discern who the strongest groups were for their own research because that’s what I assume they are keeping us for, as lab rats. What we’re lab rats for though, I’m not too sure. The only reason they promised prizes was to make everyone fight harder.” 

 

“You think?” 

 

“I do. Jisung, when you told all of us about your past with Gyujin, you mentioned that his adoptive family said something about being put in this place of their own volition, right?” 

 

Ashamed eyes averted themselves at the mention of those who had lost their lives because of Jisung’s inactivity when Gyujin had gone on his rampage. Both of his friends squeezed his hands just a little bit tighter to let the Thief know that he shouldn’t feel guilty about what happened to those he could not save. It was not his fault and nobody would ever blame him for it. 

 

“Yeah, I still don’t know what they meant by that. None of us know if we came in voluntarily or not but since we don’t remember how we came to be here, we’re all pretty sure that it wasn’t by choice. However, they seemed to know that they entered here by themselves. How is that possible?” 

 

“I’m not entirely sure but why change things up like that? If they were getting people to volunteer to be put in Phantasm, why force people in here? There are way too many questions to be answered.” 

 

“One question really bothers me at the moment.”

 

“What’s that, sunshine?”

 

“You weren’t there when I told the others about Gyujin, so how did you know about the details of it?” 

 

Changbin’s brows furrowed in confusion as he realised that Jisung had just made a very valid point indeed. Minho had already left when they had sat beside Jisung to listen to his tale about his past. They had filled the Tracker in on the important details about the Thief’s brother but they had never gone into the depths of the secret. “That...is very true. How did you know all about that, hyung?”

 

Looking like he had been caught knowing something that he shouldn’t have, Minho made an attempt to discreetly back away but Jisung’s strong grip around his fingers kept him firmly seated in the chair. 

 

“I-I may have been sitting on the roof and listening through the open window when you were talking about your past. I didn’t want to leave so I stuck around for a little while.” Minho tapped his feet on the wooden floor in embarrassment as he fell under the shocked gazes of those surrounding him. 

 

“You didn't leave? Even after I told you to?” 

 

“I didn’t have anywhere to go, Jisung! You guys were the only people that I relied on and trusted in Phantasm and I didn’t want to keep going without you. When the others were sent back to their rooms and you were crying while Woojinnie hyung and Channie hyung were trying to comfort you, I left. So, I managed to hear about Gyujin and I understood why I hurt you even more than I realised.” 

 

Minho wondered if there would ever come a day when he didn’t feel guilty about what he had done to Jisung and the other boys in his family. He had been forgiven, all of them had made that abundantly clear but Minho hadn’t yet forgiven himself and was starting to doubt that he ever could. It weighed far too heavily on his scarred heart and he didn’t quite have the strength to fight back against the guilt after everything he had been through. This gained him a very worried look from Jisung, the younger boy grabbing on to his forearm to let him know that everything was alright now but before the subject could be unearthed again, a rather shrill voice suddenly broke through the silent moment. 

 

“Nope. No, no, no, we are not falling back into this depression again. Minho hyung, we’ve forgiven you, Jisungie has forgiven you, nobody is upset with you anymore so can you not do this thing where you’re starting to blame yourself again? I never thought of you having a problem with confidence but ever since Jisungie threw you out on your ass, you seem to be a different person in that regard! And Jisung, don’t baby him anymore. If he starts acting like this again, scold him for it! I can’t believe I have to act like the voice of reason when Channie hyung and Woojinnie hyung aren’t here. Don’t make me call you a whiny baby again, hyung.” 

 

The fluorescent bulb overhead gently swung from side to side as Jisung’s head matched its rhythm. Changbin had called Minho a whiny baby? What exactly had he missed out on when he had been unconscious? 

 

“You call me a whiny baby again and I’ll tell Lix you were a snivelling mess while calling out his name the whole time you were away from him. Be very careful, Seo Changbin. I can make or break your image with a single word.” 

 

“Lix would never believe you.” 

 

“You sure you wanna take that chance?” 

 

Staring the elder boy down, the Medic drummed his fingertips on the table, unable to discern whether or not Felix would actually trust Minho’s words but decided from the look in the Tracker’s eyes that the other was serious about making him seem like an emotional wreck. 

 

“I don’t know why I’m friends with the two of you. All you do is make my life a living hell. I feel like I lose ten years off of my life everytime I’m with you. I’m going for a stroll.”

 

“But it’s raining!”

 

“Nothing like walking alone in the rain.”

 

“Oh, then we’ll come with you!”

 

“You cannot be that dense. Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

 

“Yeah but I chose to ignore it.”

 

“Jisungie, you shouldn’t be going out in that weather in your condition.”

 

“Then stay here and talk with us some more, hyung!” 

 

Changbin could complain all he wanted about the two boys grinning evilly at him, knowing that he would always put their health and wellbeing first. From the moment he met Jisung, the Thief had him wrapped around his little finger and that hadn’t changed in the many months that he had known him. Now, Minho had trapped him as well and he knew he could do absolutely nothing to escape the grip that both of them had on him. Flopping back down in the chair, Changbin grumbled something about being a very unwilling third wheel as Jisung laid his head down on Minho’s shoulder and sighed in contentment. Rolling his eyes and leaving out an exasperated sigh, Changbin thought to his members who he had not heard about yet. He hoped that the three boys were safe, that they had found somewhere to keep warm and that Felix wouldn’t be far from his embrace for too much longer. 

 

* * *

 

“Lix!” 

 

Seungmin was on his feet in seconds to help the younger boy up off of the muddy ground once he was knocked over due to the surprise of seeing the little light pop up in front of him. He thought that Jeongin needed to find a better way of making his wisps deliver the messages. When he had received his back in Morthan from the youngest boy to say that he had found Minho, he too had almost been thrown to the ground due to the shock of seeing the little ghost pop up in front of his eyes so suddenly. Maybe it was the wisps way of making themselves known or maybe it was Jeongin doing it on purpose. He wouldn’t put it past the young Necromancer. He had an awfully playful streak in him and it reared its head every so often. 

 

“Are you alright?” huffed Seungmin, placing his hands securely under Felix’s arms to hoist him upwards.

 

“Yeah, Seungminnie, I’m good.” Dusting off his knees and backside that were now caked with mud since the rain had come down pretty heavily last night, Felix glanced at the little wisp swaying from side to side. 

 

Having trained with Jae since the early hours of the morning, Felix was feeling pretty exhausted and overwhelmed. Contrary to his thoughts on his lacking abilities, Felix had managed to call out his Nokkedi a second time in two days. Woojin had questioned the Beast Master on why he had decided to call her Sawa, quickly letting Felix know that it was a rather lovely name for the beautiful, formidable feline in front of them but just wondering how he came up with the names for his animals. 

 

“I just thought it was a nice name,” Felix muttered before Seungmin threw him a rather incredulous look. 

 

“There’s a reason, what is it?” 

 

“I-I thought that if I named my animals something that showed how balanced our relationship is then they might take that to mean that I trust them and that they wouldn’t attack me. Mani and Sawa mean ‘equal’ in different languages. They’re my equals in battle and in this relationship, that’s my reason.” Eyes cast downwards, he waited for the teasing to begin but wondered why he thought the other boys would mock him about something like that. He really should know them better at this stage. 

 

“That’s very meaningful. You don’t even want them to see you as their master, you want them to see you as their partner. As expected of our Lix,” Woojin beamed, obviously proud of the boy for his outlook on how he treated his beasts. They would never expect anything less really, Felix just had a heart of gold in dealing with everything in his life. 

 

He had managed to gain more control over Sawa, the large monster even managing to make her way over to Felix as Woojin and Seungmin rested a hand on both of his shoulders, letting him know that nothing would happen to him while they were around. Stretching his hand outwards, Sawa nuzzled her freezing nose against it, garnering a small yelp from Felix but one that didn’t seem to make any difference to the beast in front of him. Once the Nokkedi had picked up his scent, she moved the top of her head to meet with his palm, a playful purr rumbling in her throat as Felix scratched the top of her head. 

 

Placing a reassuring hand on the back of the young boy’s neck, Woojin let go a small laugh when he saw the scene unfolding in front of him. He hadn’t seen Felix interact with Mani all that much, being too immersed in helping Chan perfect his abilities to go and watch Felix train. However, what he was experiencing in front of him was truly a sight to behold. Felix was petting a beast and a rather daunting one at that. Woojin had come up against a Nokkedi or two before whilst he was travelling and they were not particularly easy to take down but here was Felix managing to control one. Jae may have had a very valid point when he said that the freckled boy was not your average Beast Master. 

 

The elder Beast Master eventually had to leave with the others to head into town, telling the younger boys that they could remain at the house for the day by themselves if they wished. Woojin took this opportunity to try and repay the group of men for their kindness, tidying up around the house and beginning to cook a meal for them upon their return, something he had not done in quite some time. 

 

Felix remained outside with Seungmin, calling both Mani and Sawa out to let them get better acquainted. Both beasts circled each other, sniffing the other’s scents before Mani left out a little squeak and leapt up onto the feline’s head, sitting proudly as Sawa continued to prowl around the area. 

 

The Illusionist was truly baffled that Felix was controlling not only one but two beasts at the same time and what surprised him even more was that he was completely and utterly relaxed. Engaging in light conversation, Felix began to stand to send his monsters away, both apparently after dozing off as they laid in the heat of the sun beginning to break through the clouds. Making it halfway to his beasts, Felix couldn’t get any further before he was knocked to the floor by Jeongin’s wisp. As soon as he hit the ground, Seungmin was by his side to help him up but on his other side were Sawa and Mani, hurrying to their master to make sure that he was alright. Once he was in a standing position again, the freckled boy patted both of their heads before giving a silent command to let them know that they were allowed to leave. 

 

“Another message from Innie? This could be about the others. Should I get Woojinnie hyung?” 

 

Seungmin didn’t have time to dash towards the house to get their oldest friend before the little ghost blazed orange and began to spill its message to them. They would just have to remember what was said and relay it to Woojin later on. 

 

_ “Lix hyung, I thought I would send the message to you this time since you would probably want to know the contents the most. We received a message back from Minho hyung.” _

 

Only Minho? Chan had said in his previous message that they had also sent one out to Jisung, so when both boys only heard Minho’s name, fear began to rise up from the pits of their stomachs but it wasn’t long until it was quashed. 

 

_ “He sent us a message to let us know that he didn’t fall through the portal alone. He is with Jisungie hyung and Changbinnie hyung. Yukhei hyung fell through with them too but he has already head back to Morthan. All are safe and well.”  _

 

The shining sun most definitely came in second place to Felix’s smile when he heard that all four of the remaining boys that they had not heard of had fallen through together and were unharmed. Changbin was safe and he wasn’t alone either. They had all managed to fall through with someone else Felix began to wonder how it was possible that they were that lucky. He wasn’t going to question it; he always found that when he did that, it would always come back to bite him. 

 

_ “You don’t have to worry about them but Lix hyung, just to let you know, Woojinnie hyung told us all about Changbinnine hyung confessing to you in that last message. Thought I should inform you in case you were unaware.” _

 

“God dammit, Woojin hyung,” Felix grumbled, dragging his hands down his tired face. The playful tone of Jeongin’s voice let Felix know that he was in for a hell of a lot of teasing when they would reunite. 

 

_ “But Jisungie hyung also said that Changbin hyung was complaining about not knowing how you were doing specifically, that he was really worried about you. The others too, of course but you’re name definitely came up.”  _

 

Seungmin managed to stifle a laugh at Jeongin’s mocking words but not before a disbelieving glare was thrown at him, a silent warning that Hyunjin’s name and a copious amount of teasing would come up in the next conversation they were going to have. 

 

_ “Anyways, we’re all still fine. We’re staying at an inn near Kalmm. I met another Necromancer too, his name is Yedam. He owns the place that we’re staying. He’s younger than I am but refuses to call me hyung. How annoying is that?” _

 

The two boys still listening intently to the message could tell that Jeongin wasn’t really peeved by the new friend he had made. Rather, his voice seemed to hold a rather fond tone when referring to the other boy. 

 

_ “Well, I suppose I should finish up now. Channie hyung and Hyunjinnie hyung will be back from town soon and I wanted to try and get this message done and sent before they came back. If they knew I was doing this again so soon, they’d probably try to stop me but it’s too late now! They lose! I better go, but I’m not leaving because I’m scared of them. Make sure you know that! Uh, bye Lix hyung. Hope we will see you soon!” _ __   
  


Shaking his head at the Necromancer’s dramatics, Seungmin pulled Felix into a side hug, beginning to laugh once he heard that everyone in their group had made it out alive and were not alone. A true miracle if they ever heard one. 

 

“Man, Changbinnie hyung is whipped for you, huh? Well, of course we all knew that but it’s nice that he’s finally admitting it.”

 

“Yeah, it is.” 

 

“You look way too happy about that.” 

 

“Mm-hmm, I am happy. Maybe you should experience it too by confessing to Jinnie. Ah, don’t bother trying to deny it, you’re so not that subtle either. Who knows? Maybe the feeling is mutual.” 

 

“Lee Felix, do you know something that I don’t?” 

 

“Oh, you want to know? Well, too bad, maybe you shouldn’t have laughed at me earlier!” Felix began to sprint away, running to tell Woojin about the good news they had just received from their youngest member. 

 

“Lix! Wait! Is the feeling mutual? Lix!


	33. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, happy Wednesday! One thing before we go into this week's chapter. Um, I just realised that this story has reached a thousand kudos. As in one thousand? You guys, what the hell? Why? I was a little rattled to open up the story to update just to see that. I know you're all probably sick of hearing me say it at this stage but thank you all so, so much for reading this monstrosity of a fic that is so freaking long and for leaving comments that make me smile every week. I'm not going to get even more sappy than I already have because I'm really not good at that, so I'm gonna move on really quickly! Hope you're all having a terrifically wonderful week!

Finding the local market didn’t take all that long since the village was so miniscule compared to what Chan and Hyunjin were used to walking around in nowadays. Yedam had given them general directions on where to go to find what they needed to make dinner for all of them tonight. Chan had insisted on taking responsibility for the meal since Yedam had taken care of it previously. They weren’t going to take advantage of his hospitality like that and they decided that they would pull their own weight. Maybe it would have been different if it were a regular inn, one that was always full and bustling with people but it wasn’t a regular inn and Yedam wasn’t a regular owner. This became all the more clear to Hyunjin and Chan as they traversed throughout the village. 

 

Packing their produce into their bags, the plump woman behind the counter smiled the whole time they were conversing. 

 

“So, I haven’t seen either of you around here before. Are you just passing through? Where are you lovely boys lodging?”

 

“Yes, we’re just staying here for a couple of nights with another friend of ours due to some...unforeseen circumstances. We’re travelling back to Haknal tomorrow so, for the time being, we’re staying at the inn at the very end of the main street.”

 

The woman’s eyes blew wide once Hyunjin relinquished where they had been sleeping the past couple of nights. She scooted back a little, clearly uncomfortable at the information that had been presented to her. 

 

“Then, you’ve met that boy? Why would you stay at his inn? There are much nicer places around town.” 

 

Chan halted his work of packing the bags, looking up at the disgusted scowl that had replaced the loving smile on the woman’s round face. “Yedam’s place is really nice in itself, there’s nothing wrong with it. Why wouldn’t we stay there?” 

 

“You must know by now that he’s a Necromancer. How can you be around something like that?” 

 

This time, it was Hyunjin’s turn to look disgruntled. He wondered why this woman was speaking about Yedam with such venom in her voice when the boy seemed to be a pretty great kid in his opinion. She hadn’t referred to him as someone but ‘something’ and Chan didn’t take to that too kindly. 

 

“Yes, we know that he’s a Necromancer but so what? It’s not like he did something awful to gain his class. It means that he had a near death experience and that wasn’t his fault in any way so, why should it matter?” 

 

“But he’s able to summon spirits and the speak with the dead. It doesn’t matter what the reason is, that’s just wrong on any level.” 

 

“Have you ever spoken to him? Tried to get to know him a little?” 

 

“Why would I interact with him? I mean, the child is a freak of nature, all Necromancers are. Everyone around town thinks the same thing, that’s why we all avoid him. It would be better for everyone if he just left this place all together.”

 

Hyunjin was ready to go on a full rampage due to the woman’s words. She wasn’t just insulting Yedam but Jeongin as well and he wasn’t about to let her talk about either of his friends like that. How could she judge someone when she didn’t even know them? Minho’s encouraging words rang loudly in Hyunjin’s head at this very moment.  _ ‘Nobody’s perfect’ _ but this woman apparently saw herself as a saint with no faults of her own. The Alchemist made a move forward before he felt a strong grasp on his shoulder and turned to see Chan, a blank expression gracing his features. Most people would take that to mean he was indifferent to the situation but Hyunjin knew better. He knew the Knight was seething with rage but managing to hold back and not make a scene. Placing the paper bag full of food back on the counter, he forced a smile on his face as he began to turn and walk away, pulling on Hyunjin’s hand to guide him in another direction. 

  
“Wait, aren’t you going to pay for your food?” 

 

“I’d rather buy it somewhere else, somewhere where the owner isn’t so judgemental and rude. Yedam is a kid and he’s one of the sweetest kids I have ever met. You shouldn’t assume something horrible about someone without knowing anything about them and it’s not like you even tried to get to know him either. You should be ashamed of yourself. He’s hurting because of people like you and it’s so unfair that you would treat him with no compassion when he’s all alone in this world. Your views on Necromancers are based on your own fear because you would never take the time to understand them and that’s all on you. So, we are leaving now and we will not be coming back. Come on, Hyunjinnie, let’s go.” 

 

Hyunjin threw one last glare towards the woman, whose mouth was agape after Chan’s little lecture. She obviously had expected them to be on her side, to be shocked when she let it go that Yedam was a Necromancer but they weren’t that shallow, they had spent time with the boy and could see that he was just as wonderful as Jeongin. The fact that they were both Necromancers made no difference to them or the rest of their group and it never would. 

 

Eventually finding another market at the opposite end of the town, Hyunjin and Chan kept to themselves, not wanting to initiate another conversation in case they would have to endure listening to more people around town drivel on about how much of an evil person Yedam was. Chan was sure they wouldn’t come across anyone who had a positive opinion on the boy since Yedam had said outright that nobody in the town would talk to him. Once they had paid for their items, they hurriedly made their way back to the inn as dusk began to fall upon the small village. They had left Jeongin in Yedam’s care and knew that the younger Necromancer wouldn’t let them down. He had promised them that he would look out for Jeongin since he had passed out after his wisps had come back and since he had experienced using his powers too much himself before, they knew that he would know just what to do for Jeongin in his time of need. 

 

Closing the front door behind them, both boys stopped in their tracks when they heard little giggles coming from the kitchen. They could identify Jeongin’s laugh anywhere and both were glad that he was already awake and seemingly in a positive mood. Swinging the kitchen door open, Chan and Hyunjin took in the adorable, albeit rather messy, sight in front of them. Sporting fuschia and turquoise aprons respectively, Jeongin and Yedam were each hiding behind one end of the elongated counter in the middle of the room. Chairs were knocked to the ground and the table was slightly askew as if someone or something had banged into it. Behind them, a tv screen was buzzing with some show that Chan swore he remembered seeing as a kid. Both boys seemed to be in the middle of a rather dangerous battle, grasping handfuls of flour that they had obviously been using as projectiles in their fight. If Chan didn’t know any better, he would have said that Jeongin had naturally snow white hair but he did know better and assumed that he was losing their battle quite badly based on the amount of flour now coating the top of his head. The Necromancers raised their fists at the exact same time and flung the small quantity of the white substance that remained in their hands. Jeongin managed to hit Yedam square in the face and the youngest boy would have managed to do some damage to Jeongin too had he not ducked out of the way with precision timing. In doing so, however, another was the victim of Yedam’s attack. Coughing and spluttering, Hyunjin dropped his bag of vegetables to try and clear his eyes of the powdery mess that had been thrown directly into his face. 

 

Immediately straightening themselves, Yedam and Jeongin quickly hid their hands behind their back upon noticing the two older boys return, as if doing so would conceal what they had been doing the whole time. It seemed to Jeongin that Yedam had already picked up that, as lovely as Chan was, he was not a person to piss off. The Necromancers were ready to feel his wrath upon seeing the state of the kitchen but immediately relaxed when Chan began to giggle hysterically at Hyunjin’s poor attempts to clean his face after Yedam’s attack. Setting his paper bag on the counter, he began to wipe the Alchemist’s face with the back of his sleeve before turning to the younger boys. 

 

“I thought I said that we were cooking tonight, Yedam.”

 

Averting his gaze from the Knight, Yedam kicked around the flour that had littered the floor after the battle. “Y-yeah, you are but we were bored and we thought we could try baking something for dessert. Jeongin said he wanted to try and make cookies since he hasn’t done it in a while and I thought that I would help him.” 

 

“And how did you end up in this state when you started out trying to make cookies?” Hyunjin questioned, obviously not impressed that he was going to be cleaning flour out of his hair for a while. 

 

“Yedam said that we should put raisins in the cookies when the right answer is obviously chocolate chips. Neither of us would back down and-”

 

“And Jeongin thought it would be a great idea to flick flour in my face. From there, it escalated pretty quickly,” Yedam explained, still not looking up at either of the boys with their eyes trained on him. 

 

It wasn’t a particularly easy thing to try and maneuver through the mess on the ground without dirtying his shoes but Chan attempted nonetheless. When he eventually managed to get to the fridge, he began to unpack what they had bought in the market into the shelves. “And why couldn’t you just put both raisins and chocolate chips into the cookies? Then you would both be happy.” 

 

“Are you nuts, hyung?!” 

 

“That would be a monstrosity!” 

 

“You can’t put both of them in!” 

 

“You’re just spouting complete nonsense now, hyung!” 

 

Raising his hands to defend himself and his idea from their words, Chan left out a breathy chuckle at the identical look of pure horror on the younger boys’ faces after his suggestion. He thought that they didn’t seem to realise how similar they were in some aspects. 

 

“Jeez, alright, I didn’t realise that it was such a stupid idea! Look, how about this? I will make dinner with Hyunjinnie and afterwards we can all attempt, emphasis on  _ attempt,  _ to make cookies together. We can make two batches, one with raisins and one with chocolate chips and that should be ok, right?” 

 

Jeongin and Yedam exchanged a glance along with the shrugging of shoulders that let Chan know that his plan seemed to suit both of them. 

 

“Wait, hyung, are you sure you know how to bake?” 

 

“Innie, you should know by now that I can do absolutely everything. You have an amazing hyung. There’s nothing I can’t do!” 

 

“Except confess to Woojinnie hyung when it was so blatantly obvious that both of you were head over heels in love with each other.” 

 

Biting his lip to hold in a retort, Chan very slowly turned to face a bubbly Hyunjin, trying his best to stop a grin from tugging his lips upwards. Neither boys moved for a moment before Chan extended his hand out to the counter beside him and placed his fingers into the bag of flour. Hyunjin could see where this was going rather quickly and tried to defend himself before it could happen. 

 

“Channie hyung, think about this, you’re just going to make even more of a mess. You’ll have to clean it up. Don’t you think tha-” Hyunjin didn’t get any further in his reasoning before his face was once again full of the flour that had just been sitting on the kitchen counter. The Alchemist didn’t hesitate before he leapt forward and grabbed his own handful of flour, smashing it into Chan’s hair and ruffling it so that it was evenly spread out amongst his locks. Before Jeongin knew what was happening, his hyungs were chasing each other around the kitchen, adding to the mess that he and Yedam had created previously. 

 

The impromptu fight was suddenly halted when a rather loud voice began falling from the screen situated on the opposite side of the room.  

 

“Attention people of Phantasm.”

 

Four pairs of eyes flew to the television, gazing at the owner of the husky voice. A man, Chan thought to be in his late twenties, sat in the middle of a rather lavish room. Wearing a navy, structured suit, the man relaxed comfortably as he crossed his legs and placed his clasped hands upon them. The Knight wasn’t quite sure what was happening. He didn’t know this man but assumed that he was someone important based on the fact that he was able to project his message to all of Phantasm through the screens within people’s homes. 

 

“Jang Wooyoung? He actually came out of hiding?” 

 

Chan turned to see Jeongin and Hyunjin staring at Yedam with eyes blown wide, obviously wise to the identity of the man situated on the screen based on his name. 

 

“Wait, you know this guy?” 

 

“Shh, Channie hyung, listen and we will explain afterwards.” 

 

“I assume that many of you know of the events that transpired at the grand tournament in Morthan earlier this week. What occurred there was an atrocity and many people lost their lives because of those running this place. It seems that it was all a ruse and those who fought with all their might have been stipped of their dignity. Because of that, I will be holding a ball of sorts at my home in Balisa. Those who competed in the competition are invited to come along and will be given the proper treatment that they are deserving of after putting their all into the tournament. At this time, we will also be holding a vigil for those who did not make it out alive after the closing ceremony incident. It will be held ten days from now so that it will give all of you plenty of time to arrive here. I am aware of all those who competed, so do not worry that you will not be allowed entry and please, feel free to bring your friends along with you. I hope to see you there. Thank you for listening.” 

 

And with that, the screen returned back to the regularly scheduled programming, something with a little pink elephant dancing around to some inane music in a rather colourful garden. Finally coming back to the present after what just happened, Chan turned to the younger boys, ready to hear the explanation of what had just occurred. 

 

“That was Jang Wooyoung? I’ve never seen him before.” 

 

“He’s not really what I expected.”

 

“Yeah, that was him alright. I’ve only seen him once but I definitely remember him.”    


 

“Uh, guys, you wanna explain to me what’s going on? Who was that guy?” 

 

Separating from the little circle they had formed, the three boys finally turned towards Chan, brows furrowed in confusion. 

 

“Chan hyung, Jang Wooyoung was a very prominent figure in Phantasm up until maybe six months ago. He suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth and I think a lot of people attributed it to the fact that the Park family died in such a horrible way.” 

 

Chan stiffened at Yedam’s words, seeing Hyunjin and Jeongin mirror his movements immediately. The youngest boy didn’t seem to notice them freeze up upon the mention of those who Gyujin had murdered so violently in their home all those months ago. 

 

“It was said that Wooyoung knew the Parks pretty well and that he was also one of the first people within Phantasm. So, when they were so brutally murdered, he seemed to go into hiding at once, though nobody truly knew the reason why. People tried to piece things together but couldn’t find a connection outright. Now, he’s back and he’s inviting people to his home? I wonder why?” 

 

Grasping his chin between his fingers, Yedam seemed to lose himself in his thoughts as Chan threw a subtle glance towards the other two boys. He was sure that neither of them knew the reason that the man had gone into hiding either but something that Yedam had said had caught all of their attention. Wooyoung had been one of the first people in Phantasm and had known the Parks. If what Jisung told them about Gyujin’s adoptive family had been true, then there could be a very important link between them. If the Parks had come into Phantasm of their own free will, then Chan thought that Wooyoung might be the same. 

 

“Yedam, why don’t you go and relax for a while? We’ll clean up in here, go and do whatever you need to do and we’ll call you when dinner is ready.” 

 

“I don’t mind helping you clean up here, hyung.” 

 

“No, no, seriously, go. Innie, why don’t you go with him and have some fun? We’ll only be about thirty minutes. Find something to do in that time.” 

 

Jeongin immediately understood what Chan was asking of him: to try and distract Yedam so that he and Hyunjin could discuss what they had just seen on the screen. Nodding emphatically, Jeongin pulled a confused Yedam towards the door of the kitchen and out into the foyer. 

 

“So, hyung, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” 

 

“If you’re thinking that we need to talk to this guy as soon as possible because he might actually know who is running this place then, yeah, we’re thinking the same thing.” 

 

“I’ve heard of him before but I’ve never seen him and he didn’t particularly mean anything until we heard Jisungie’s story. Now, he seems like he could be the missing link that we need to get some valuable information on this place,” Hyunjin beamed, clearly excited at finally having a new lead on possibly leaving this place for good. 

 

“We don’t know that he will be of any help and that’s if he actually does agree to speak with us. Don’t get your hopes up just yet, Hyunjinnie.” 

 

“Who says he has to agree to speak with us? Maybe we should force him to.” 

 

Chan side glanced at the Alchemist, now sporting a rather sly grin. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Minho. His craftiness is beginning to rub off on you. We’ll decide what to do once we’ve reunited with everyone else. For now, we’ve got a kitchen to clean and a meal to cook.” 

 

“Why would you send the two of them away when all of this was their fault, hyung? Ok, don’t look at me like that, I know why you did. I’ll clean and you cook. Try not to poison us, hyung, ok?” 

 

Evading Chan’s attempted beating, Hyunjin ran to find something to help him tidy the chaos that the younger boys had created. A new lead, a new ray of hope and Hyunjin was getting excited simply thinking about the possibility of finally coming to some sort of new epiphany about the world he had spent so many months in. 

 

* * *

 

_ “So, Lix hyung, Woojinnie hyung and Seungminnie hyung are safe. They’re all together, so don’t worry about them, ok? We’ll see you guys back in Haknal. Don’t take too long but make sure Jisungie hyung is feeling well enough to travel. Bye!” _

 

As the wisp floated upwards and away from Changbin, the Medic fell backwards onto the bed as he clutched his chest. The pent up anxiousness that had been clawing at his heart released itself in the form of tears that fell backwards onto the blankets beneath his head. He bathed in the silence of the darkening room as he relished in the good news from his youngest friend. 

 

Jisung had asked Minho to accompany him to meet with Namjoon and the rest of his members, to personally thank them for allowing them to stay in their home and for all the effort they had put into healing all of his injuries. As slow as the progress was, Minho was beginning to warm up to the older group of men, apologising to Namjoon for his rude and slightly murderous behaviour. The man had quickly brushed off his worries, stating that there was no need for them. He let Minho know that Jin had been badly injured once too and in the time that Jimin had been healing him, he had acted in a very similar fashion to Minho when others had tried to approach the wounded man. The Tracker was more than a little grateful for the understanding that Namjoon had given him, thinking that the man had a very warm and kind smile, similar to that of his members when they had forgiven him in the past. 

 

“Changbinnie hyung! Do you wanna come for one last walk around the area before we leave tomorrow? Hey, are you crying? Hyung, what’s the matter?” Jisung immediately went into overdrive, running to Changbin and sitting him up on the bed as the Medic began to scrub at his eyes to erase his tears. Throwing Minho a worried glance, the Thief immediately began to pet Changbin’s hair, running his fingers through his tangled locks and shushing the little sobs escaping his mouth. 

 

Floorboards creaking under the shift in weight, Minho knelt down in front of the two boys, a troubled stare glancing over Changbin’s shaking form. He tenderly grasped the Medic’s hand in his and wondered what had caused him to break down in the small amount of time that they had been gone. 

 

“Innie...Innie sent a wisp about the others.” 

 

Minho and Jisung froze on the spot, terror immediately clouding their senses at the thought of something terrible happening to those they had not yet heard about. 

 

“What did he say?” 

 

“They’re all together and they’re completely fine,” Changbin choked, trying to figure out how they could have been so lucky to have come out of this together and alive. 

 

“Ah, Changbinnie! I thought something awful had happened to them!” Minho gently slapped the Medic’s knee but genuinely didn’t feel any sort of malice towards the younger boy, knowing that his tears stemmed from happiness upon hearing that his members were alright, that he now knew that the one he loved was safe and Minho knew about that feeling of relief all too well.  

 

“Lix is- he’s safe. I was so scared. I thought I had lost him just after we-” 

 

Jisung once again began to shush the older boy as he cradled him in his arms. Changbin had always been a person that Jisung knew he could rely on. He was strong, he kept his emotions guarded, his wall was impenetrable but Jisung always thought that the Medic needed someone to help him break down all of the barriers that made him feel that he could never express that he sometimes felt weak, that sometimes he required help, that sometimes he needed to let all his worries out through his tears. He had finally managed to find that someone in Felix and Jisung couldn’t be happier that his hyung had found his other half, just like he had found his in Minho. 

 

“Changbinnie hyung, if he’s alright, then these are happy tears, right? Come on, you’re supposed to be the cool one in the group, the visual, the dark one but having your snot drip onto my sleeve isn’t protecting your image very well.” 

 

The Medic weakly punched the boy’s arm as he cried out in fake pain, muttering something about still being injured and that he couldn’t believe that Changbin would treat him like that after everything he had been through. Minho chuckled heartily at Jisung’s innate ability to make Changbin feel better in any situation. Reaching up to swipe his thumbs across the Medic’s cheeks, Minho gently removed the streaks of water slowly trailing from Changbin’s eyes. 

 

“I know we always give you a lot of shit about Lix, Changbinnie but we know how much you love him. It’s ok to let a few tears out after hearing that he’s safe. We’re going to start heading back to Haknal tomorrow so that you can meet back up with him as fast as possible, ok?” 

 

Changbin nodded gratefully at Minho with a small but meaningful smile, grabbing onto Jisung’s arm as the younger boy carefully placed it around his chest to pull him back into a side hug. As their heartfelt conversation came to a close, a small but urgent knock came upon the door causing Minho to rise from his crouched position and answer the call. 

 

“Jin-ssi? Is everything alright?” 

 

“There was a message broadcast on the tv, you guys are gonna want to hear about it. Come on down to the living room for a while. Namjoon will explain.” Noticing Changbin nestled in Jisung’s arms, he threw a reassuring smile at the boy, unsure of the reason for his bloodshot eyes but glad to see that he had the friends that he held close to support him. 

 

Walking into the welcoming, homely lounge, Changbin noticed two more of Namjoon’s members that he hadn’t yet met, obviously those who had been out on the mission that he had heard about from the young man previously. 

 

“Yoongi, Hobi, these are the boys I was telling you about. Changbin, Jisung and Minho.” 

 

The two men who sat side by side on the couch, one sporting a tired smile and the other seemingly a ball of unimaginable energy quickly waved back with happy greetings of their own. 

 

Once the basic introductions were over with, Namjoon launched into an explanation about Wooyoung’s message that had just come through on the television, mentioning the party he would be throwing in honour of those who competed in the tournament. 

 

“Wait, so we’re invited? We can bring our members with us too?” Jisung questioned, not quite sure why something like this was happening.

 

“That’s what he said. I remember when this guy disappeared. He used to do so much around Balisa, helping the community through donations and even working around the town himself. He seemed like a stand up guy to be honest but then, one day, he just vanished. We all gathered the reason why, it was because of what happened to the Parks and since he was close friends with them, we thought he wanted to avoid being caught up in something like that too.”

 

Throughout his explanation, Jimin never noticed Jisung stiffen upon hearing about those his brother had attacked and freed from this world. Minho pulled him into his side, placing a soft kiss to his temple before nuzzling into his hair to remind him that he was in no way responsible for anything that had happened. He gently stroked across the Thief’s cheek with his thumb as the younger boy’s arms secured themselves around his waist to draw Minho closer to him. The Tracker knew that Jisung held the same kind of guilt about not helping the family that he couldn’t save that he did about not telling his group about who he was. A little piece would lodge itself forever within both of their hearts and remain there where it could rear its head every so often but they would rely on each other and their members to help them deal with it when it did. 

 

Upon seeing the reaction of his members to the story, Changbin looked to Namjoon, the man holding a sympathetic twinkle in his eyes as he stared at the boys embracing each other. The Medic had thought it wise to let Namjoon know about pretty much everything that had happened to them since this whole ordeal began. Changbin knew he could trust the man to keep their secret and he had promised to do so, even from the rest of his members. He didn’t go into detail about Jisung’s past but had let Namjoon know of the most important aspects of it so that he could understand why Jisung or Minho might act the way that they did sometimes. 

 

“So, are you boys going to go? I mean, it seems a little suspicious that he would reappear like this just to invite the strongest people in Phantasm to his home but maybe he’s just as pissed as everyone else was about the treatment of you guys. Maybe he is just holding a party for everyone but there could always be an ulterior motive underneath all of this,” Namjoon reasoned, obviously trying to direct the attention away from the reason Wooyoung had gone underground in the first place, earning him a grateful smile from Changbin. 

 

“I think we kind of have to if we’re being honest.” Changbin realised that if the man had gone into hiding because of what happened to the Parks, then there was a good chance he knew as much as they did about those who controlled Phantasm and that made him a very valuable person indeed.

 

“You’ll be leaving as soon as possible then? Jisung, are you feeling up to it?” Jimin questioned, obviously worried for the young boy’s welfare since he had been there when he was at his worst after falling through the portal. 

 

Nodding his head, Jisung smiled a smile brighter than the sun, thankful for the concern but he was feeling more than able to make the journey to get back to the rest of his members. 

 

“I’m so ready to meet back up with everyone again. I think we have a few things to take care of before we leave in the morning. Thank you for letting us know about this, we’ll turn in for the night.” Jisung bowed politely towards the group of older men before they returned his dazzling grin. Pulling on Minho’s hand, Jisung led him back to their bedroom as Changbin trailed behind before he was pulled back by his wrist. 

 

“I don’t know why Wooyoung is doing this but make sure you keep your guard up, alright? I’ve never met him and can’t say that I trust him, so don’t go believing everything so easily. Your members come first and I know you’ll look out for them. You’ve shown me that they’re the most important thing in the world to you but do make sure to look after yourself too. Ok, Changbin?” 

 

Namjoon patted the Medic’s arm with fervency, making sure to show the younger boy that he was very proud of how he had handled the whole situation with Minho and Jisung with such maturity and experience. He knew it couldn’t have been easy to go through something like that but Changbin had managed to keep a clear head, had placed his trust in them when he realised his friends were in dire need of help and had put them before himself in every instance that Namjoon had seen. 

 

Eyes crinkling shut, Changbin laughed through his nose at the man’s very serious stare that softened upon hearing the Medic’s chuckle. “I’ll always look out for them first, Namjoon-ssi but I will try to look after myself a little bit more too, I promise.” 

 

“I think we’ve gone through enough together over the last couple of days for you to be able to call me hyung. That goes for all of us in this room. You have a safe place here if you ever need it, Changbin, you and all of your members. Don’t ever hesitate to ask if you need something that we can help you out with, alright?” 

 

Glancing over the man’s shoulder, Changbin could see the rest of his members throwing calming smiles his way to let him know that they shared in Namjoon’s sentiment, obviously after growing very attached to the three young boys who they had only known for a couple of days. 

 

“Thanks, hyung, I’ll be sure to remember that. I’d better go and check on those two. Who knows what they get up to when I’m not around? Probably the same thing you and Jin hyung get up to, huh?” Managing to run out of the room before Namjoon’s murderous grasp could reach him, he laughed through the shouts coming from the man, emanating from the room he had just escaped from. 

 

“Jungkook, Taehyung, stop fucking laughing and get back to work! God, why do I have to put up with this shit?” 

 

* * *

 

Straightening his bow on his back, Seungmin unravelled Minho’s scarf from around his neck, noticing the bruises that had turned yellow after they had slowly begun to heal. He thought that he could confidently walk around without anything around his neck now but quickly secured the charcoal scarf around it once again; this wasn’t because of his injuries but because he wanted to keep one of his missing members close, knowing that he would see Minho again and return his scarf to him soon. 

 

The morning sun peaked its head over the horizon, promising the start of a new day as the boys walked towards the door to begin making their way back to Haknal. They had retired early so that they could get a full night’s sleep before starting out on their journey to find their friends again. Most of the young men that had so thoughtfully allowed them to stay in their home had bid them goodbye the night before, knowing that Felix and his friends would be leaving at the crack of dawn, a time of day that they were not used to seeing. Jae had braved the early hour, managing to pull himself out of bed to say farewell to the group of boys he had found a couple of days earlier. 

 

“You sure you guys have everything? You won’t want to have to walk all the way back here if you’ve forgotten something,” Jae quipped, noticing Felix pat his sides before taking off into the room he had been staying in with Woojin and Seungmin, eventually emerging with his Whip in his hand and an embarrassed smile on his lips. 

 

“Oh, I’m gonna miss you boys. I hope this isn’t the last time we’re going to see each other. It was nice to have some new faces around here, though perhaps it did get just a  _ little  _ bit louder than it usually was. You seem to bring out the worst in my family as well. Felix, I am never going to forgive you for teaching Dowoon those god awful dances. He’ll be doing them for months! Woojin, thanks for helping Seungjin in the kitchen all those times. He likes to pretend he can cook but without you, I think the kitchen would have probably burned down. Seungmin, Wonpil said he’s really going to miss your little talks, I think he was growing a little attached to you, said you reminded him of his little brother back home. Ah, I’m becoming soft. Go on, get out of here before I start crying like a mom seeing her kids go off to college!” 

 

Jae sobbed into his sleeve as the boys giggled at his dramatics. Being so immersed in his performance, the Beast Master never noticed Felix glide up to him, securing his arms around the young man’s waist before squeezing lightly. Coming out of his little drama, Jae’s eyes flew to the red headed boy pulling him into a hug, snickering at how short the other was compared to himself. Resting his cheek upon the younger’s head, Jae managed to hold back on the few tears that were threatening to seep through because of the boys’ departure. He had connected with all three friends in the short amount of time they had stayed with him but Felix really managed to work his way into his heart. He couldn’t remember the last time that he had become attached to someone so quickly, surmising that the it must have been Dowoon since the young man had been the last to join his family.

 

“I’m seriously going to miss you, Felix. You’ve made a hell of a lot of progress in the days you’ve been here and I know that it couldn’t have been easy. If you ever hit a point where you think of your phobia as a weakness again or that you feel like you are falling behind, always remember that failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s a part of it. You need to fall in order to get back up to prevail and accomplish what you want to do. Remember that for me, ok?” 

 

Long fingers tickling Felix’s neck was met with short bursts of laughter along with a bright smile and a nod to show that he understood the older Beast Master’s words. The morning air hit their cheeks immediately, making them want to run straight back into the house but all remembered where they were heading, the feeling in their hearts suddenly supplying them with the heat they needed. Frost from the bitter night crunched beneath their feet as they finally ventured outside to begin walking down the path. 

 

Just before Felix left, he felt Jae clasp his hand in his, transferring some small objects into the freckled boy’s palm. Glancing down, Felix jangled the glistening, golden pins around in his hand, each shaped like a different beast, all of which the boy was familiar with. He wasn’t sure why Jae had given to him, making him frown with an inquisitive shine in his eyes as he looked to the other for answers. 

 

“Myself and the boys spent last night making these for you and your team. Think of them as little good luck charms. That’s what Younghyun’s class allows him to do, to make items that can be used in battle to amplify our abilities. They will quite literally increase your luck so make sure to give them to everyone, ok?” 

 

Felix dove in for one last hug as he wrapped his arms around Jae’s neck and spilled ‘thank you’ and ‘you guys are so awesome’ from his lips. Felix would make sure to never forget about the men who so kindly helped them in their time of need. He would have to ask Jeongin if he could send a wisp back to them every now and then to let them know how he was progressing in his abilities. 

 

“Do I get to pick which beast I get to keep?” 

 

“Sure but I think you should stick with the Chiyeou one I made for you. I tried to get it to look like Mani as much as possible. It’s the coolest one if I do say so myself.” 

 

“I dunno, that’s the one that looks the worst out of all of them.”    


 

Gasping, Jae stumbled backwards as he looked in horror at Felix’s shaking form, the boy obviously trying to contain his laughter upon seeing the elder’s face. “I’m kidding, hyung. Alright then, the Chiyeou it is.” 

 

Felix carefully pinned on the golden Chiyeou onto the bag secured around his waist before running up to the others and allowing them to decide on which ones they wanted. Seungmin picked the Goyogae like Jae’s reliable monster, while Woojin chose a Jalica: a beautiful bird that always reminded Felix of a crystal white phoenix. The Bard would have chosen the Nokkedi pin but thought it best to leave it for Changbin when they got back to him, seeing as it was the second beast that Felix had confidently managed to summon. 

 

Finally managing to tear themselves away from the teary Beast Master, the boys waved to Jae in the doorway as they bowed and yelled joyful goodbyes, ones that held a promise that this would not be the last time that they saw each other. 

 

“This is going to be one hell of a journey back, huh? We’ll have plenty of time to talk about everything along the way,” Seungmin beamed, ecstatic that they were finally on their way back to see their family. 

 

“Yup, we have so much time to talk about...stuff. So, Seungminnie, how are you going to confess to Jinnie when we get back?” 

 

Sighing into his hands, Seungmin began to walk just a little bit faster to try and separate from the giggling boys behind him. “This is going to be one  _ hell  _ of a journey back…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious new lead for the beginning of a new arc. Hope you all enjoyed, see you next week!


	34. Friends are connected heart to heart. Distance and time can’t break them apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Another week, another chapter. Hope you enjoy it. On we go!

“Yah, Jeongin, wake up. Don’t make me sit on you.”

 

It was fascinating to Jeongin that he was actually becoming accustomed to waking up to Yedam’s voice after hearing it a few times, the boy’s sweet tone being overpowered by the biting comments he always seemed to throw at the older Necromancer. Groaning as he attempted to open his eyes, he noticed that it was still dark outside, the stars still sweeping across the sky instead of the morning sun that he was expecting to see. Turning to glance at the clock beside his bed, he noted 5:18 on the face, wondering why Yedam had thought it was a good idea to awaken him from his slumber at such an ungodly hour.

 

“You better have a good reason for waking me up like this, Yedam. It would be a shame to have to throttle you on our last day together.”

 

“I’d like to see you try. Chan hyung told me to try and get you up since you guys will be leaving in an hour. He thought you might want some breakfast before you head back to Haknal. You do want to leave, right? To get back to your friends?”

  
Moaning in agreement, Jeongin swiftly pulled the covers over his head, to which Yedam let out a very annoyed sigh. He didn’t think it would be this difficult to get the boy up out of bed but it was a struggle to say the least. Making his way down to the end of the wooden bed, Yedam flipped the covers from over Jeongin’s feet and began to ruthlessly lay into them with his fingers. It didn’t take long before Jeongin jolted upwards, screaming as Yedam tickled his soles without mercy, ignoring the boy smacking his back to get him to stop. Momentarily ceasing his torture, Jeongin took the opportunity to leap up from the mattress, falling into a fighting stance with his fists raised to take on the boy in front of him.

 

“Well, it looks like that did the trick. Is that all it takes to get you up out of the bed? I should have just woken you up that way. Come on, Chan hyung and Hyunjin hyung are making pancakes. Let’s go and get some.”

 

Presenting his hand to the other boy, Jeongin grabbed it without hesitation, walking together with fingers intertwined down the stairs to the kitchen. The difference in Yedam’s demeanor from when he had first met him was astounding. Jeongin had kept his distance for a little while after they had been introduced to Yedam, thinking that the boy had an aversion to people touching him, which he respected. If someone didn’t want to be touched, then he was going to give them the space that he needed; Yedam didn’t need to explain why, to Jeongin, he didn’t even need a reason. That was his choice.

 

However, once he had woken up after he had fallen unconscious because of his wisps, Hyunjin had told him all about how Yedam had hugged him close and looked after him before carrying him up to his room. In the time they had spent together the previous day, Jeongin noticed that Yedam didn’t shy away from his touch when he threw his arms around his shoulders, when he pulled him into a side hug, when he began to wipe the copious amounts of flour out of his hair after their playful fight. Rather than not wanting Jeongin’s touch, the older boy thought that Yedam was simply so devoid of human contact that he wasn’t actually used to having people come into contact with him and that broke his heart. The other reminded Jeongin so much of himself when Chan and the others had come to rescue him all those weeks ago, longing for the embrace of another. Jeongin wished that Yedam had agreed to come along with them, just so that he knew he wouldn’t be all alone anymore but the other stood firm on wanting to stay on his own, saying he prefered it that way. Wanting to protest, Jeongin began to open his mouth but quickly shut it again when he saw the delightful glint in Yedam’s eyes, a silent look to let Jeongin know that he was thankful for spending time with him over the last couple of days but that he truly didn’t mind being by himself.

 

Filing into the kitchen, the aroma of their breakfast hit the two youngest boys like a tidal wave. The scents of cinnamon and honey invaded their noses and made them race towards the table where Hyunjin was laying out cutlery.

 

“Innie, I’ve never seen you move so fast. Yedam, how did you manage to get him out of bed so quickly? It usually takes forever! You sure that isn’t one of your abilities? Getting Innie to stop being so lazy? Because it’s an ability that none of us have!”

 

Hyunjin received a smack because of that comment, rubbing his arm while he glared at Jeongin, a small smile threatening to pull at his lips. Moving over to Chan to help dish out their breakfast, Hyunjin laid his head on the oldest boy’s shoulder, urging him to hurry up since the Alchemist’s stomach was more than audible as it growled due to the lack of food in it.

 

It took a matter of seconds for all boys to inhale the food in front of them; it was almost as if they hadn’t eaten a huge meal the night before. They had, with all boys somewhat successfully making the cookies that the young Necromancers had attempted to create earlier in the day. Perhaps they had made too many, getting lost in the excitement of the hubbub and chatter that flew throughout the kitchen until they had seven trays sitting in front of them full of the desserts they had created. Chan had promised that they wouldn’t go to waste, stating that he would pack them in his bag to eat on the way back to Haknal where he would share them with his members, if they hadn’t eaten them all by the time they got back.

 

Gathering his belongings, Chan couldn’t help but feel a little bit desolate as he began to make his way into the foyer to head back to the family he missed with all of his heart. Despite the circumstances, he had found his time staying in Kalmm to be a rather enjoyable one; meeting Yedam had most definitely been the highlight. Once it had been confirmed that all of his members were safe, Chan had allowed himself to relax a little, to catch up on the sleep he had missed out on during the last few days. Now, they were leaving and Chan was rather upset. Upon walking into the village, he didn’t think that it would be so difficult to leave again but seeing Yedam waiting for them at the end of the staircase so that he could walk to the outskirts of the town with them made his chest constrict as he thought of the boy going back to live a rather solitary life.

 

As they passed the stores beginning to open their businesses for the day, Jeongin noticed the glances that had been directed at Yedam, not that the younger boy seemed to notice or if he did, he chose to ignore them. Jeongin gave as good as he got when he shot disapproving looks back at those who stared at Yedam like he was some sort of abhorrent monster.

 

Chan managed to notice the woman who he had lectured the previous day over the way she had spoken about the youngest boy. However, when looking at Yedam, her face didn’t seem to hold the same sort of malice that it had yesterday. Rather, it seemed contemplative. He chose to ignore her as he heard Jeongin and Yedam giggle loudly beside him, the older Necromancer poking and prodding at the other boy’s ribs.

 

Glancing at the wooded area ahead of them, the glossy leaves upon the branches being illuminated by the rising sun, all three boys turned to look back at Yedam, the boy smiling so much more brightly than they had seen him smile before.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever said this to people who have stayed in my inn before but I am going to miss all of you so damn much. Yes, Jeongin, before you ask, I’m sure that I don’t want to come with you. Maybe someday but not just yet, ok?”

 

Chan actually had to look around to see Jeongin’s mouth hanging open as if he was going to say something but quickly closed it again when Yedam took the words right out of his mouth.   

 

“I hope that all of your members are ok and make sure to send some wisps to me every now and again to let me know how you’re doing. It would helpful for you too, Jeongin. You’ll get used to the toll it takes on your body more quickly if you keep using your wisps but don’t overexert yourself again. Don’t be that dumbass.”

 

Yedam was sure that Jeongin was going to attack him as he moved forwards with raised arms but instead of feeling the pain of the whacks he had expected, he felt calming arms fall around his shoulders, Jeongin pulling their chests close to each other until their could feel the rock of each other’s breaths.

 

“I’ll send you one as soon as we get back to Haknal. We won’t have to go too long without hearing from each other. I promise, ok?” Raising his little finger, Jeongin threw a reassuring wink towards the younger boy, who immediately knew to grasp Jeongin’s little finger with his own, the promise of their newfound friendship continuing even though they would not be beside each other.

 

Next to move forward was Hyunjin, pulling him into a tight but playful embrace, thanking the boy for letting them stay in his inn and keeping Jeongin in check in the time that they lodged there, earning him a giggle from Yedam and a sulky expression from Jeongin.

 

Finally, Chan approached the youngest, extending his hand with a stern expression, startling Yedam in the process. He thought by the creases on the older boy’s forehead that he had done something wrong and began to panic that one of the meaningful friendships he had created over the last couple of days had been ruined. Upon grasping his hand, Yedam was pulled forward towards Chan, colliding with his strong chest. An encouraging hand was placed on the back of his head as another rubbed his back soothingly.

 

“You don’t listen to anything anyone says about you in this village, Yedam. Do you hear me? You are so much more than they can see and it’s their loss if they don’t want to be around you. You’re an amazing kid and I hope that, one day, you might want to travel with us. I know everyone in the group would love you. So, when you’re ready, give Innie a message and we can come straight back here for you, ok? I mean that.”

 

Feeling the boy tremble against him, Chan gave him a few more seconds to collect himself before pulling away and placing a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder. Gazing into his watery eyes, Chan carefully pulled Yedam against him once again before he felt Hyunjin and Jeongin’s arms join him in comforting the sniffling boy.

 

“Yedamie, don’t miss us too much! We’ll be back to see you real soon! Make sure you have food here waiting for us cause we all eat a hell of a lot!” yelled Jeongin as he moved further and further away, blending into the distance as his shouts became quieter. Waving manically back at Yedam, he didn’t seem to care that it was still rather early in the morning, that people were probably still snuggled up in their beds but knew to stop hollering when Chan swiftly knocked the top of his head with his fist. Watching them walk down the set trail into the nearby forest, Yedam smiled wistfully before turning on his heel and heading back home.

 

Walking back into the village as the sun began to rise, Yedam wondered what he would do now that those he had been spending the last couple of days with had left. They truly injected his life with purpose over the last few days, something that he was sure he would never have in Phantasm but then again, he didn’t think a lot of things could happen until he met the three boys.

 

“Yedam.”

 

The voice hadn’t belonged to one of his friends that had just departed. Instead, it had belonged to a woman, which confused the boy more than a little bit. Turning in the direction of the voice, he noticed the woman who ran one of the local markets, her round cheeks rosy and butter yellow apron dusted with flour as she baked her produce for the day ahead. She had never spoken to him before. Rather, she had tried to avoid him on many occasions, not that it bothered him, that’s just the way things were but now, she was actually calling out to him and he was intrigued as to why. With a wave of her hand, she gestured the boy over to her, the unreadable expression on her face making Yedam just a little bit nervous and uncomfortable as he finally reached her.

 

“How have you been?”

 

Looking behind himself, Yedam actually had to check if there was someone else there because of the fact that he was so sure that the plump woman in front of him couldn't be asking him a question such as that. The street was practically empty, letting Yedam know that the question had indeed been directed at him.

 

“Uh, I-I’ve been alright, thank you. The boys who have been staying with me over the past couple of days just left so I’m a little bit disappointed but they said that they would come back to see me again. How are you today?”

 

Looking a little startled by the boy’s politeness, the woman raised an eyebrow before a small smile appeared on her face, the action immediately being mirrored in Yedam’s features.

 

“I’m doing well today, thank you for asking.”

 

Conversing for another few minutes, Yedam’s hands were suddenly full, the woman placing loaves of bread and cakes into his waiting arms as she chuckled to herself. She ushered him off, telling him to take care of himself and Yedam had to wonder what in the fresh hell was just after happening. Nobody in the town had talked to him after they had found out about his class. Yet, he had just had a full and rather pleasant conversation with a woman who had made sure to stay out of his way the entire time he had lived here. He thought it could have been a coincidence that she had changed her opinion of him so suddenly but he couldn’t help but wonder if the strange boys who had just left the village had something to do with it. It would most definitely be a point that he would have to bring up later. For now, he would walk home and try to find a place to store all of the food he had just been given, attempting not to drop any as he walked through his front door before gently kicking it closed behind him.

 

* * *

 

“Lix, I am going to flatten you if you don’t shut the hell up about Jinnie. You know I’m capable of doing it too!”

 

Felix couldn't help but smirk that his constant teasing about the topic of his confession to Hyunjin had caused the usually calm boy to suddenly snap and threaten him with violence. It was only fair, he thought, that he returned some of the mocking that he had constantly received from the others on the topic of love but it seemed to be hitting a rather exposed nerve within the Illusionist. Seeing the murderous glint in the other’s eyes, Felix immediately summoned Sawa to his side, an action to show the red headed boy that he could try to attack him but it probably wouldn’t end well.

 

Seungmin huffed in exasperation before walking a little bit more quickly with a sour expression. Giggling at his friend’s stressed state, Felix immediately bounced up to the other and slung his arm around his tense shoulders, rubbing his hand up and down his arm to let him know that he didn’t have to be so worried. Woojin kept a careful watch behind their backs, unwilling to let either of them out of his sight. He thought that it wasn’t too much of an adverse reaction considering everything that they had gone through, not just recently but over all the time they had spent together.

 

The road ahead of them began to narrow as it led them into the next town along their way. The Bard rotated the map in his hands that Sungjin had given him before they had left, showing him the easiest route to get back to Haknal. It would take them a few days to make their way back but they were all adamant to do it as quickly as possible, not wanting to waste more time than they had to. They would be reunited with the rest of their family soon, something they were exceedingly excited about.

 

Woojin silently thought about having Chan back in his arms after all of this time, reminding himself about the last instance he had held the other close, how he had screamed at Woojin to make the pain stop and even though time had passed, it still made his heart shatter to remember the one he loved in so much agony. He would never let him go through something like that again, no matter what he had to do to keep Chan safe. He would protect him from anything and everything in this world and the real one.

 

“Woojinnie hyung? What do you think?”

 

“Hmm? What do I think about what?”

 

We’ve been speaking to you for the last minute, hyung. Did you not hear a single thing we said?”

 

Holding onto the map with one hand, the Bard used the other to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment, chuckling slightly at the unimpressed looks on the younger boy’s faces at his lack of engagement in their conversation.

 

“As we were saying, do you think we should lodge in this village for the night or do you think we could make it to the next one before it gets dark?”

 

Glancing at the sky overhead, Woojin saw the outline of the moon phasing itself into the sky, making it clear that the sun would soon be disappearing beyond the hills. The next village was about twenty miles away which they could reach in about four to five hours but Woojin was hesitant to take the chance when nightfall was close. He didn’t want to be caught outside when there could be beasts lurking around every corner waiting to attack. They would probably be able to fend off something that would attack them during the daylight, knowing that Felix was feeling more and more confident by the day but his brotherly, protective instincts still flared when he thought about putting the younger boys in any sort of danger, especially putting them up against the beasts that appeared at night, so he decided to go with the safer option instead.

 

“We’ll stay somewhere in town and get a really early start in the morning. There’s no need to rush. We don’t want to tire ourselves out either. We should have enough money to lodge for a night or two if we need to. Look, I can see the village in the distance.”

 

“Seungminnie, I’ll race you. If you win, I’ll shut up about Jinnie until we get back but if I win, then you’re going to have to tell me in detail how you plan to confess to him. Deal?” Extending his hand to confirm the promise with a handshake, Felix felt a sharp slap to his palm before Seungmin immediately took off in the direction of the village without hesitation. He wasn’t going to lose this bet, even if he had to cheat to make sure that happened.

 

“Yah! Kim Seungmin get your ass back here! The deal is void if you cheat! Son of a-”

 

Felix instantly shut his mouth when he heard the sharp hiss from Woojin indicate that he was to keep his speech kid friendly even though Jeongin wasn’t around. This mentality didn’t even make sense to Felix, he knew Jeongin was just as bad as the rest of them for spilling profanities but he wasn’t going to extinguish Woojin’s hopeful ideas of keeping the young Necromancer as pure and untainted for as long as possible. Smiling brightly at the eldest boy, Felix bolted towards the entrance to the village before he heard Woojin yelling at both of them to be careful.

 

Spriting past the wooden gates, Seungmin breathed heavily as he laughed at Felix trailing miserably behind him, shouting and yelling that it hadn’t been a fair match.

 

“Lix, don’t be a sore loser, you should know to always be prepared for the unexpected in this place. Don’t pout, come on. I’ll treat you to cake or something to make it even but you still have to keep your mouth shut about Jinnie.”

 

Watching the sullen look disappear from his face at the mention of food, Seungmin rolled his eyes at how easy it was to make Felix happy with sweets. They stayed by the entrance as Woojin eventually made his way towards them. The gabled roofs atop the red bricked buildings matched well with the the stained glass windows that lined the main street. Woojin thought it to be very quaint and welcoming, something that made all three boys feel safe and protected, reminding them a little of Haknal and the security it provided.

 

Once they had deposited their belongings at the inn they had chosen to stay at, Felix began to pull both of the others towards town to finally eat what he had been promised by the Illusionist. They garnered a small wave from the owner of the inn, who, after hearing Woojin mention Jae’s name, began to treat them like royalty. The Beast Master had told Woojin to let his name slip at this particular village if they were to stay here and it seemed whatever kind of reputation that Jae had certainly was one to be impressed by.

 

A little cobblestone building sat nestled in between the much larger structures but one that was engulfed in a tantalizing aroma that immediately drew Felix in. Hopping through the front door, the boys took in the assortment of alluring cakes and pastries that called to them. Woojin took a seat with Seungmin as Felix went to place his order. There were way too many things he wanted to try but decided not to face Woojin’s wrath because he bought to many sweets. Choosing a lamington cake that reminded him far too much of home, he faced the girl behind the counter. As his order fell from his lips, he couldn’t help but tilt his head to the side as he stared at her, feeling a weird sense of familiarity bubble up inside of him. The wavy curls setting around her shoulders, the cupid’s bow shape of her lips, the beauty mark by her left eye; Felix was sure he had seen all of these before. Receiving an equally confused gaze, it took the Beast Master a couple of seconds before he placed where he had seen this girl before.

 

“Ah, you’re Eunbin! That is your name, right? One of the people who was imprisoned with Jeongin and Seungmin in Siwan’s house? They told us all about you guys after you escaped.”

 

Eyes widening at the abrupt realisation, Eunbin clasped a hand over her mouth as she suddenly recollected Felix’s face and how he had been one of the people who had freed her from her prison.

 

“Oh my god, you were one of the people who came to save us! I can’t believe it. You and your group gave us our lives back. I’m sorry, I don’t even know your name.”

 

“I’m Felix, it’s nice to be properly introduced to you. I’m not on my own. Seungmin and Woojin hyung are with me. One second. Hyung, Seungminnie, come here!”

 

Hastily moving towards the counter at the sound of the Beast Master’s shouts, they began to ask if he was alright before Seungmin and Eunbin locked eyes, instantly recognising each other and smiling widely.

 

“Seungmin, you look well. They obviously kept their word when they said that they’d look after you.”

 

“Same to you. It’s nice to see you again. Are you here on your own? What about the others? Are they alright?”

 

Huffing at the concerned tone in the boy’s voice, Eunbin couldn’t help but laugh at how much Seungmin seemed to have changed in the month that they had been apart. The indifferent and cold introvert that always had a book in front of his face seemed to have been replaced by a rather confident boy whose smile was impossibly bright. The inquisitive and uneasy glint in his eyes let the girl know that he was truly worried about the others that he had shared an underground cell with in Siwan’s home.

 

“All are working around town but they are doing very well. Ever since we left...that place, we’ve stuck together. We’re sorry we didn’t wait for you guys to wake up and recover but-”

 

“Don’t apologise, really. Leaving Jeongin and myself was probably the best thing you could have ever done for us. You have your family and now, I have mine. So, seriously, don’t worry about it,” Seungmin beamed, earning himself a ruffle of his hair from Woojin and a nudge to the ribs from Felix.

 

“I’m nearly finished here. Do you guys want to sit and talk for a while? Oh, Felix, you were about to order something. What can I get you?”

 

After carrying their trays to the table, Eunbin took a few minutes to come and join them, bringing them coffee on the house with a smile.

 

“When we got to the next village, we stayed for a couple of days and heard about Siwan being killed. That seemed more than a little suspicious but we decided not to question it. You guys have any idea what happened? You didn’t go back to finish him off, did you?”

 

Shaking their heads vehemently, Woojin and Felix claimed that they had no idea what happened to the man who had kept them prisoner in his home. Noticing Seungmin’s bowed head and silent words, Eunbin bent down to meet his eyes, dragging them back up once they made contact.

 

“I have a feeling you didn’t deny knowing what happened to him because you do know, don’t you?”

 

Felix and Woojin stared at Eunbin before whipping around to look at the Illusionist who played with his fingers beneath the table.

 

“Y-yeah, I know what happened to him.”

 

“What?! Seungminnie, how do you know what happened to him? Y-you couldn’t have done anything. Hyunjin and Channie looked after you the whole time.”

 

“No! No, I didn’t do anything but I know who did…”

 

Seungmin felt their eyes burning into him, obviously waiting for the explanation that he had been keeping from them.

 

“I only recently found out about it myself so I haven’t been hiding it from you. I kind of forgot about it after all the trouble we went through recently but Yukhei hyung told me before we went to get Jisungie.”

 

“Yukhei?”

 

“Yeah. He’s the one who got rid of Siwan.”

 

“What?!”

 

Leaping from their seated position, Felix and Woojin startled Eunbin in the process, nearly causing her to spill her cappuccino onto the floor. Once they realised that the other patrons in the cafe had been staring at them after their outburst, they calmly sat themselves back down before staring at the Illusionist to continue his explanation.

 

“Well, you see, he did it because...because Minho hyung asked him to…”

 

Ten minutes flew by as Seungmin went into a detailed explanation about what had happened and his thoughts on the subject. Trying to defend Minho the best he could, he didn’t want the other boys’ opinion of the Tracker to fall again after everything they had just gone through. Seungmin was very thankful towards Minho for what he had done for him but since Felix and Woojin had never been in the same position, he feared that their no killing policy would cloud their views.

 

“So, Minho hyung asked Yukhei hyung to kill Siwan?”

 

“Not technically. He just asked him to make sure he couldn’t come after us anymore so that we wouldn’t be terrified all of the time about the thoughts of him coming to take us back. Look, he kept us safe and I know you guys mightn’t like the idea of what happened but please don’t think badly of Minho hyung, he-”

 

“Seungminnie, relax. We don’t think any less of Minho. His morals were a little askew back then but he has changed and to be perfectly honest, I can’t say that the thought of killing Siwan didn’t enter my head a couple of times too. Had he been alive and come after you or Innie, I wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him on the spot. It’s ok, now we know.”

 

Letting go of a tense breath, Seungmin deflated into the cushioned couch, relieved that his admission would not strain the relationship between Minho and the other boys. Chuckling at the look on the red headed boy’s face, Eunbin sipped her coffee as another thought popped into her head.

 

“Wait, I saw you on the tv the other day. You were at the tournament, right? Seungmin, what happened to you was...”

 

“I’m fine, really. My friends looked after me really well. We didn’t win but it seemed that it wouldn’t have mattered if I did, right?”

 

“I guess. So, are you going to Wooyoung’s house for the ball, then?”

 

Three tilted heads stared back at Eunbin and she quickly gathered that none of them had any idea what she was talking about.

 

“You guys don’t know? You didn’t see Wooyoung’s message on tv?”

 

“Wooyoung? As in Jang Wooyoung? The guy who ran Balisa and went into hiding? No, we didn’t see it. Ah, because Felix broke the tv when he was messing around with Seungmin and Dowoon hyung.”

 

Slipping a little further into his seat at Woojin’s stare, Felix quickly urged Eunbin to continue with her description of Wooyoung’s message, becoming extremely excited when he heard about the party that was being held for those who took part in the tournament along with their friends.

 

Bidding them goodnight, Eunbin wished them the best of luck in their endeavours, giving each of them a quick but meaningful embrace, spilling thanks again for everything that they had done for her and her friends. She promised to let the others know that they were doing well and told them to continue to take care of each other and themselves. They watched her skip towards the end of the street, continuing to wave at them until she was out of sight.

 

“Well, maybe we’ll have to walk that little bit faster to get back to Haknal. I assume that you and all of the others will want to attend this party. One thing is clear though, we’ll have to talk to Wooyoung. We know he knew the Parks and after hearing Jisungie’s story, that could be a very important link indeed. Come on, time for bed. We’ve got a long day ahead of us again tomorrow.”

 

Placing his arms around the two younger boys’ shoulders, Woojin exhaled deeply at the thought of all of the information that had been presented to him tonight. Between Seungmin’s revelation about Minho and Eunbin’s about Wooyoung, he felt his head swimming with far too many questions. He shook his head to push them back, thinking that he needed a good night’s rest to manage to sort out and organise his thoughts that inadvertently slipped towards Chan as they entered the inn to end their day.

 

* * *

 

After travelling for almost three days, it was obvious to both Changbin and Minho that the youngest member of their little group was starting to feel the effects. They had said their goodbyes to the group of young men that had taken them in, spilling many thanks and very few tears. Namjoon had once again reiterated to Changbin that he would always be welcome in their home and told them to make sure to come back to see them again if they had time, stating that he would love to meet the rest of his members that he had heard so much about. Packing a bag full of camping equipment for the boys, Jimin handed it over to Minho, wishing him well and asking him to keep an eye on Jisung’s condition. They could all see the physical injuries healing, turning into reminders of the experience in the form of scars but the painful remnants of the incident that lingered in his mind could always weigh heavily on the Thief’s heart, especially when he least expected it.

 

Minho knew all about hiding how you truly felt, slapping a faux smile on your face to make everything seem like it was ok to others and sometimes, even to yourself. He had perfected that ability down to a tee and he now knew that Jisung had too. Every so often, he would glance at the other from the corner of his eye as they traversed down the winding path, lined with enormous oak trees that deterred the light from the radiant sun from blazing down upon them. It had only been a couple of hours since they had risen from where they camped in a small area set up for that particular activity, though nobody else had been around to share in the space but they could see Jisung beginning to falter in his steps, his energy slowly diminishing, possibly because of the uncomfortable heat that the day exuded.  

 

“Jisung, do you wanna rest for a while? We can take a half hour to stop if you need to,” questioned Changbin, placing an allaying hand on the back of the Thief’s neck when he saw the drops of sweat falling down his forehead and nape.  

 

“This is so ridiculous. I stay in bed for a few days and it’s like I’ve become a weakling. I’ve always been the ball of never ending energy in the group but now I can’t walk for a few hours without becoming exhausted. Sorry, we don’t need to stop, I can keep going. We need to get back to the others quickly,” Jisung reasoned, licking his chapped lips and running his hands over his face to erase the sweat that was pooling on his temple.

 

Throwing Changbin a knowing look, Minho quickly grabbed Jisung’s hand before dragging him to a clearing on the side of the path, earning him questions and worried sputterings from the youngest boy.

 

“Jisung, if you’re tired, then we’re going to stop. The injuries you suffered have taken their toll on your body and it will take a lot longer than a few days to get back to normal. You’re not inconveniencing us and the others will always wait for us in Haknal, they won’t move on without you.  Come on, sit down with me for a while.”

 

Fishing a blanket out from his backpack, Minho ruffled it a few times in the slight breeze before gently laying it down on the mossy ground and motioning Jisung to join him on it as he laid against an overhanging tree. Unwillingly, Jisung complied with Minho’s request, knowing that the Tracker would not be taking any crap from him when it came to his well being anymore. Cuddling into his side, Jisung let go of some of the tension that had been building up in his shoulders as they walked towards their destination. He felt a hand roaming though his damp hair, trying to make him feel safe and at ease as he let his eyes shut for a beat.

 

Noticing the Thief’s breath becoming shallow, Changbin smiled fondly at how Jisung gripped Minho’s shirt in his sleep, comforting himself knowing that there would always be someone by his side to help him whenever he needed it.

 

“Hyung, I’m gonna take a look around the area while he’s asleep. It would be helpful if I manage to come across a beast or two. I think that Jisungie could use a rest in a proper bed but I don’t know if we will have enough coins to lodge somewhere. We’re all running pretty low.”

 

“Do you think it’s such a good idea to go by yourself? I can help you out when Jisung wakes up. Just wait for a little bit.”

 

“If I wait until he wakes up, he’s gonna want to help out with taking down beasts and you know as well as I do that he’s not ready for something like that. I’ll be fine, hyung. I won’t take on more than I can handle, promise. I’ll be back soon.”

 

Watching Changbin salute as he edged further into the foliage of the forest, Minho pursed his lips together to let the Medic know that he was not particularly happy about letting him go alone but could do nothing about it without disturbing Jisung and the rest he required.

 

Changbin chuckled at the sight of a very whipped Minho attempting to move to stop him but falling prey to Jisung’s cute snores instead. He was truly glad that he was now able to return the favour of all the teasing he had been subject to over the months that they had spent together. Pushing overgrown branches out of his way, he felt the crunch of the twigs beneath his feet as he looked for anything that he could add to their funds before they moved onto the next city.

 

* * *

 

_“Shut the fuck up. He doesn’t belong to you. He doesn’t belong to anyone, he’s not a plaything for you to mess with.”_

 

_Minho. Minho’s voice. Where was he? Why couldn’t he see him?_

 

_“You’re going to try and fight me? In the state that you’re in? Man, does he really mean that much to you?”_

 

_Was that Gyujin’s voice? Why did it sound so familiar yet so distorted? Looking around himself, he could only see darkness as the void made his chest crash in upon itself._

 

_“Let me ask you a question then. If I gave you a choice of who I should make suffer, who would you choose? You?”_

 

_Minho’s screams pierced his ears. No, Minho shouldn’t be suffering because of him. He didn't want this. He reached out his hands into the empty space, hoping that he would find the one he loved. He couldn’t let him endure the torture that he had been subjected to. He wouldn’t allow it._

 

_“Do you think that I have to use my hands to inflict harm on your members? All I need to do is project my energy and their worst imaginings could come true.”_

 

_Chan’s resounding screams. Woojin’s comforting whispers. Seungmin’s horrendous choking. Jeongin’s soft cries. Minho’s riotous yells. This was wrong. He wanted to help them but the sounds hung above him as if mocking him that he was so useless to help his members when they needed him most._

 

_Deafening silence hit his ears before a light blinded him, making him shield his eyes as he took in the scene around him. The floor smeared with blood, unmoving bodies. Silent screams leaving his mouth, glancing at the man in front of him, back facing him as he stood triumphant in his expedition to make him feel immense pain. Nothing would ever hurt him more than this. His family was gone. Taken from him._

 

_They shouldn’t have come for him. He wasn’t worth it._

 

_Why would they sacrifice themselves for him? He wasn’t worth it._

 

_Losing their lives because of him. He wasn’t worth it._

 

_Finishing his goal, the man turned, glancing at the Thief on the ground but it wasn’t Gyujin looking back at him like the Thief had expected, it was himself. Like seeing a ghastly reflection in a mirror, Jisung saw himself standing above his fallen members, blood coating his hands, a sickeningly sweet smile on his lips as he desecrated the trust he had been given by his friends._

 

_“They were such a nuisance. I thought it better to get it over with, just to end their pathetic lives. It’s what you really want to do, isn’t it? There’s something within you, something that you try to hide but Gyujin saw it. It’s a darkness that’s taking root in your soul and you can’t escape it, no matter how hard you try. Besides, it’s not like they ever cared about you, they just pitied you. You’ve lived alone and will die alone. Useless, irritating, insecure, worthless, fake: that’s all you are and all you will ever be…”_

 

_The other moved forwards towards him, hands outstretched and wrapping themselves around Jisung’s throat, attempting to end another life in the room full of corpses._

 

_“I am you. I see me in you and there’s no denying that there’s a longing to kill inside of you. It finally took flight when you decided to kill your brother. You’re a murderer just like he was. That’s something you can never erase from yourself…”_

 

_He gasped, clawing at the hands around his neck. He wasn’t the same Gyujin. He didn’t want to kill. He wasn’t like that._

 

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no…_

 

“Jisung!”

 

Feeling a strong arm around his waist and hand on his cheek, Jisung violently flinched away from the contact, trying his best to escape the clutches of the version of himself that terrified him so much. He thought that maybe it would be better if he simply let himself be killed, at least he would be with his friends then.

 

“Jisung, look at me. It’s only me, sunshine. I’m here. Shh, I’m right here, I’ve got you.”

 

Finally forcing his eyes open and escaping from the nightmare inside his head, the Thief took in Minho gazing worriedly in front of him, cupping his cheeks, before he broke down into relieved sobs, so unbelievably thankful that what his mind had conjured up was not the reality that he had been faced with.

 

Minho instantly pulled him close, hugging him impossibly tight, not ever wanting to let him go to face the world alone. As much as Jisung liked to pretend that he was fine, Minho knew that something like this would haunt him for years to come, just like his own trauma did. He wouldn’t let Jisung think that he was alone in this though, shushing him gently before he began to hum a pacifying tune to drown out his cries.

 

“What did you dream about?” After a couple of minutes, the shakes wracking the Thief’s body had eased, the tears falling down his cheeks beginning to dry but Minho’s grip around his waist as he laid on his shoulder hadn’t loosened. Jisung shook his head, not wanting to speak about the frightening images that still encircled his mind.

 

“Please tell me, I want to help you, Jisung. I don’t want you suffering through anything alone anymore.”

 

“Dead. All of you were. And I...G-Gyujin killed you. There was so much blood everywhere and I could do absolutely nothing about it. I couldn’t find you. I heard you screaming. Innie looked so small curled up. Changbin hyung’s eyes were staring back at me. I…”

 

Jisung said nothing more on the subject, escaping further into Minho’s arms before the sights of his nightmares came back to him again. Lying to the boy he loved that cradled him in his arms, Jisung didn’t want to explain what he had truly witnessed in the dream. He knew Minho would try to understand, whisper sweet nothings to him but what worried him the most was that what his mind had made him see was something that could come to fruition if he ever allowed the shadows within himself to take over.

 

“Ok, ok, you don’t have to tell me any more about it. You know you don’t have to worry about that anymore, right? Gyujin is dead. Of that, I’m sure. I tried searching for his aura to be absolutely certain and it’s not anywhere around the world, nor is Soyeon’s. He won’t be coming back for you, Jisung. I’ll protect you from absolutely anything that tries to harm you. Nothing will get past me.”

 

Soft lips pressed themselves to Jisung’s forehead, letting the Thief deflate even further into the other’s hands. He wondered how much longer these nightmares would last for, if they were ever going to stop, if they would ever actually happen. He wondered if Gyujin really did see something within him, something dark and warped like his own soul had been. Balling his fists into Minho’s shirt, the Thief nuzzled into his chest, praying that it was only a dream, something that would never actually become a reality.

 

* * *

 

Looking up to the sky above, Changbin felt that it was time to begin heading back. It would take them another hour or two to reach the next town and he wanted to get Jisung into a fluffy bed as fast as possible. The Thief was healing at a decent pace but he didn’t want to push him beyond his limits after everything he had been through.

 

The Medic had run into a few beasts along his travels, disposing of them with ease. However, when a little Chiyeou ran along his path, he couldn’t find it within himself to attack the little fox, his mind immediately floating towards Mani and his master. If Felix ever managed to summon any more monsters, it would become a problem if Changbin couldn’t attack the beasts he came up against because they reminded him too much of the freckled boy.

 

Eyeing a Bafrer in front of him, Changbin thought he could easily take down the beast, earning himself and his friends a few more coins to possibly feed themselves to excess so that they would have the strength to continue on with vigour. Grasping his shining staff in his right hand, he began muttering a spell to summon his holy magic to dispose of the beast before he heard a low growl from behind him. Spinning around, he wondered how he hadn’t noticed the beasts creep up on him, counting five more Bafrers before they were joined by the one that Changbin had previously tried to attack.  

 

“Oh, shit…”

 

Feeling like he was a little out of his depth, the Medic slowly backed himself up against a large, maple tree, trying to think of some sort of way out of this. He didn’t know if he would be given enough time by the wolf like beasts to stand and complete his spells before they attacked him. Still, he had to take the chance if he was going to make it out of this situation alive. He thought that perhaps he should have listened to Minho when he had told him to wait but it was pointless to dwell on something like that now.

 

“Alrighty then. Boys, I know you wanna eat me now but I can’t allow that. It would be an awful shame to survive against people like Siwan and Gyujin only to be mauled to death by wolves. So, what do you s-”

 

Chanbin barely had enough time to raise his shield before the beasts began to throw themselves at him. With each hit, Changbin could feel the cracks beginning to form in his dome, knowing that it wouldn’t last very long against this many monsters hitting off of it repeatedly. He wondered if his agility stat would allow him to outrun the Bafrers but assumed that this would not be the case. His thoughts were suddenly disrupted when he heard a loud crack before seeing a portion of his shield fall to the ground. He was screwed and he knew it. Pouring the rest of his energy into his shield, Changbin grunted as he felt the debris of leaves slip beneath his feet before he came crashing to the ground, his shield dissipating as he knocked his head against the tree.  

 

Trying to steady himself and rise, ignoring the pain emanating from the back of his head, he began to wonder if Minho and Jisung would eventually come to search for him when he didn’t return. What would they find? Would there be anything left? The way the Bafrers looked at him before they pounced was an indication that the two boys would probably be forever wondering what had happened to their friend.

 

Bracing himself for the oncoming attack, Changbin let out a small hiss at the thought of the incoming pain but felt nothing of the sort. Instead, he heard a roar but one that did not come from the six beasts standing in front of him. Leaping over his head, an unfamiliar monster stood in front of him and if the Medic didn’t know any better, he would say that the beast was protecting him from the savage wolves ahead. Why would a beast defend him though? That wouldn’t make any sense. Unless…

 

“Binnie!”


	35. Tough times never last but tough people do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the beginning of reunions! You guys endured almost two months of them apart and I'm so glad to have some of them back together again. Enjoy!

The overwhelming heat of the day did nothing to stop the excitement the welled up inside of the youngest boys as they raced down the makeshift path, paved for them by the many travellers that had walked this road before they had. Felix hopped up on Seungmin’s back as he finally caught up with the Illusionist after he had run ahead. They were becoming increasingly more excited at the thought of getting closer to Haknal with each day that they travelled, getting closer to meeting their friends again.

 

“Seungminnie, why can you run so fast? I thought you were a bookworm.”

 

“What? Because I like to read books, I can’t run fast?”

 

“Hey! You two! Can you stop running so far ahead all of the time? I can’t keep up with you,” Woojin panted, slowly falling in beside the boys who had become stagnant after their race.

 

“Not our fault you’re such an old man, hyung,” grinned Felix, feeling Seungmin’s body shake beneath him as he tried to refrain from laughing at the pissed look on the Bard’s face.

 

Hopping closer, Felix poked Woojin’s cheek with a pout, causing the irritated frown on the eldest boy’s face to immediately drop. He didn’t plan on letting the young Beast Master off of the hook so easily after calling him an old man, so he pounced forward, enveloping him in a bear hug before digging his fingers into Felix’s sides, eliciting high pitched screams that were tinted with happiness. Noticing Felix beginning to wriggle out of the Bard’s grasp, Seungmin quickly moved towards his friends, keeping Felix in place so that Woojin could continue his torturous ways and cause the freckled boy to spill even more laughter.

 

Managing to eventually free himself and hold a steady stance on the gravel beneath him, Felix raised his arms warily, knowing that the playful match was not over just yet. Ready to give as good as he got, Felix began walking towards his two friends before he was stopped in his tracks, seeing glittering specks form beside him before Sawa was sitting there, stretching her sizable body close to the ground.

 

Frowning slightly, Felix threw a look to Woojin and Seungmin, both boys halting in their movements when they thought Felix had called the beast to help defend himself against their wriggling fingers.

 

“Huh, that’s weird, I didn’t summon her. I didn’t even think about it. Why is she here?”

 

The question was never met with an answer before Mani immediately formed on his other side, hopping up onto Felix’s shoulder with a loud squeak.

 

“What’s happening? Mani, why are you here too? What-”

 

Felix was getting tired of having his questions being ignored as Sawa let out a loud roar before taking off into the depths of the forested area to the boys’ left, Mani immediately following after her, though his little feet could in no way keep up with the formidable, long strides that the Nokkedi took ahead of him.

 

“Wait! Mani, Sawa! Come back here! Where are you going?!”

 

Following his beasts into the overgrown brambles protruding from the bushes, Felix dipped beneath them to race after the monsters he had not called to his side. He could hear Seungmin and Woojin yelling at him to stop as their voices grew further and further away but something within him told him that he had to keep going, to follow the route his heart was tugging him down. He couldn’t understand why this was happening to him. First, Jae had explained that he was an exception when it came to Beast Masters, being able to call his monsters without uttering the summoning chants that were required of his class. Now, his beasts were materialising out of nowhere to stand beside him before running off on their own. Felix wasn’t sure if he could handle being an exception.

 

Hearing Sawa roar loudly once again, the boy began to wonder what had gotten his usually docile Nokkedi so riled up. Felix followed the sound of her growls, hearing other vicious snarls mixing together with hers before seeing his beast locking eyes with six Bafrers in front of her. He halted in his tracks, reliving the memories of almost being attacked by one when he trained back in Morthan. Fingers trembling slightly as he clutched at his pant leg, he was about to dart in the other direction before he noticed that Sawa was placing herself in front of someone, protecting them from from the savage animals that were ready to attack.

 

He edged closer with curiosity, trying to gauge why exactly Sawa and Mani would dart ahead of him to rescue a random person in trouble. Not that he was annoyed by this, in fact, he was rather proud that his beasts held such high morals that they would automatically run towards someone who was about to lose their lives to ferocious animals. However, rounding the tree to focus in on the poor soul whose shield had just fragmented, obvious by the magical shards beginning to vanish on the ground, he noticed that it wasn’t an unknown stranger at all. The ruffled, black locks, the glistening earrings that dangled down to his sharp jawline, the wide eyes that held fear and intrigue at the large beast in front of him, Felix had committed them all to memory since they all belonged to the person he loved more than anything in the world.

 

“Binnie!”

 

Receiving confirmation that it was indeed the Medic he had missed so much as the other turned around at the sound of his name, Felix was about to burst into a full sprint towards Changbin before he remembered the situation in front of him. Carefully walking up behind his Nokkedi, Felix placed a hand on her back before glancing at her from the corner of his eye, not letting his focus leave the six ferocious beasts in front of him.

 

“Sawa, you know what to do.” With a nod of his head, the Nokkedi lurched forward, blinding the Bafrers in front of her before using her powerful tail to swipe at the monsters and sinking her pointed, razor sharp claws into the beasts’ skin. Whimpering and cowering in the shadow of their aggressive attacker, the Bafrers retreated, falling back into the frondescence around them.

 

Hearing the little squeak behind him, Felix whipped around to see Mani settled in Changbin’s lap, the older boy hugging him tightly as his mouth hung agape at what he had just witnessed in front of him. Finally letting the tenseness of the situation fall from his body, Felix dashed over to the other still splayed on the ground before bending down and settling between his knees.

 

“Binnie, are you alright? They didn’t hurt you, did they? Let me take a look. You don’t seem to be injured. I-”

 

“Lix?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Seeing the other’s eyes glisten with tears as a smile morphed his face, Felix froze, suddenly remembering that the last time he had seen the other boy had been over a week ago when they were fighting for their lives against a deranged murderer.

 

“Shut the hell up.”

 

Letting go of the little beast, Changbin grasped the front of the younger’s shirt, pulling him in close as he connected their lips, laughing through his nose as Felix’s eyes blew wide at the sudden action. It held all of the meaning behind the first kiss that they had shared back in the forest before they had rescued Jisung but this time, it also held urgency, fear, longing, appreciation.

 

Felix wasn’t about to surrender in this battle of wills, snaking his fingers up behind the Medic’s ears and pulling his face closer, making the kiss more intense and demanding, smirking when he noticed Changbin jumping at the movement. Both as stubborn as the other, neither wanted to be seen as the loser in the competition of showing their affection but decided to end the playful feud when they heard a small cough from behind them, turning their heads but not separating from the kiss, seeing Mani atop Woojin’s shoulders as Sawa calmly sat beside Seungmin, both boys wiggling their eyebrows before bursting into laughter.

 

“Jeez, I know you’re probably ecstatic to see each other but please, there are children here!”

 

“Hyung, I’m a week younger than Felix, I hope you’re not referring to me…”

 

Punching his arm gently, Woojin snickered at Seungmin before moving forward to help Changbin to his feet after Felix had finally been kind enough to release his lips. It took all of two seconds for the boys to look each other up and down before the Bard enveloped Changbin in a soft embrace, swaying from side to side before gradually increasing his grip, causing Changbin to let out groans of elation and pain that mixed together in the air.

 

“Changbinnnie, I honestly thought I wouldn’t see you again. Are you alright? I’m so glad that you’re safe. You’ve been looking after the others?”

 

Feeling the nod of the Medic’s head against his shoulder, the Bard relinquished the hug and let Seungmin take his place to pull Changbin close.

 

“Yeah, hyung, I’m doing ok and it seems that all of you are too.”

 

“You’re doing ok now but you almost got eaten by Bafrers a couple of minutes ago,” Felix muttered, averting his eyes from the others as he thought about the terrifying possibility that if Sawa and Mani hadn’t materialised and bolted off or if he had been a little bit slower as he ran, he would have lost the Medic and been clueless that he had only been a few hundred feet away from his final resting place.

 

“Wh- eaten by Bafrers? What’s he talking about, hyung?” Seungmin looked a little rattled but never got the explanation he asked for when Changbin hurriedly clasped his hand over Felix mouth and shushed him with mild threats.

 

“Nothing. He’s not talking about anything, as per usual. Oh, Minho hyung and Jisungie are just resting down the path. I assume you want to see them?”

 

“Hell yeah we want to see them! They’re more important than you are, Binnie! They’re the only reason we wanted to get back to Haknal at all,” Felix uttered, giggling maniacally as Changbin’s hands wrapped themselves around his throat and playfully strangled him before he directed Woojin and Seungmin on the route to proceed.

 

Following closely behind, Changbin slowly intertwined his fingers with Felix’s, bringing the freckled boy’s hand to his lips before placing a soft peck upon his knuckles, earning him the brightest smile he could possibly imagine.

 

“What crappy timing, huh? Confessing to you like that and then getting separated from each other.”

 

“We’re back together now though. I don’t plan on letting you go again, Binnie. When will you stop blushing when I call you that?”

 

“When I have time to get used to it.”

 

“You’re so cute.”

 

“Shut up, no I’m not.”

 

“Yeah, you are.”

 

“No, I’m-”

 

“Oh my god, can you guys shut up and point us in the direction we’re supposed to be walking? Jeez, was I ever this annoying with Channie?”

 

“Yeah, hyung. Pretty much all the time.”

 

“Ok, maybe I didn’t miss you as much as I thought, Changbin.”

 

Sticking his tongue out at the Bard who had turned around as he pointed a finger to the route they were supposed to be taking, Changbin couldn’t help but let out an exasperated huff that the teasing hadn’t ceased as he thought it would when they all knew that he was now with Felix. If anything, he only feared that it would get worse at this stage. Fighting their way through the branches and overgrown shrubbery around them, Changbin almost forgot about the little fox resting on his shoulders, becoming so used to having him sit there until he began to squeak in his sleep. Fondly smiling at Mani’s tail sweeping across his chest, he suddenly jumped as an important detail flew back to him, faltering in his steps as he looked down to Felix’s side to see another monster calmly strolling beside her master.

 

“Lix, what is that?”

 

“Huh? What is what?”

 

“That! Did you manage to summon another beast while we were separated?”

 

“Oh, yeah, her name is Sawa. Beautiful, isn’t she? She’s a Nokkedi and I summoned her maybe two or three days ago.”

 

“You’re unbelievably incredible, do you know that? And you sent her to defend me? Wait, how did you even find me in the middle of nowhere like this?”

 

Felix shook his head, ruffling his crimson locks as they fell in front of his eyes before gingerly brushing them back. Using his free hand, he moved to scratch the top of Sawa’s head, drawing a low grumble from the depth of the beast’s chest.

 

“I didn’t. There is a little bit to explain about me, things that I’ve found out about myself since we last saw each other.”

 

As they walked, Felix let Changbin know all about what had happened to himself, Woojin and Seungmin after they had fallen through the portal together. He spoke of Jae and the other young men who had saved them, about his abilities and how Jae had told him about his unique characteristics that separated him from other Beast Masters.

 

“So, it’s not possible for Beast Masters to summon or give commands to their beasts without a chant? How are you able to do it then?”

 

“Not entirely sure but Jae hyung seemed to think it had something to do with my phobia, that since I chose to trust particular beasts despite my fear, it allowed a very rare and unparalleled bond to form between myself and the monsters I chose to let in. How accurate that is, I’m not sure but it seems like it could make sense.”

 

Feeling a drop of rain hit the tip of his nose, Changbin stared up to the overshadowing clouds above and knew to increase his pace to find Minho and Jisung to get them to the next village safely to let the Thief get some rest.

 

“Ok, that’s a possibility but you said that you didn’t find me. So…”

 

“No, Sawa and Mani materialised out of nowhere, without me thinking about summoning them and took off towards you. Though, I didn’t realise that’s where they were heading. I just followed them and saw Sawa defending you. Still not entirely sure what happened there.”

 

“Perhaps she just knew that you were completely in love with me and felt the need to protect her master’s most cherished person.”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Ok, that was meant to be a joke but it’s adorable that you agreed to it so quickly,” cooed Changbin, tickling his fingers underneath the other’s chin.

 

Swiftly kicking the back of the Medic’s knee, Felix’s cheeks flared red, letting go of the other’s hand and running up to join up Woojin, linking arms with the Bard to hide his embarrassment.

 

It took another five minutes to reach the two boys who were still resting beneath the colossal tree, Jisung being safely cuddled in Minho’s arms. Changbin slowly made his way up to them, placing his hand on Jisung’s disheveled hair from his comfortable sleeping position, causing the two to stare at him and present two relieved smiles to the Medic.

 

“Hyung, you’re back. Everything alright? You took your time, the weather looks like it’s going to get bad. We wanted to get going pretty soon. So, did you manage to find any beasts?”

 

“Yeah, I found a few. Should have enough to lodge somewhere tonight.”

 

“Good, I’m tired of camping. Nothing comfortable about sleeping outside.”

 

“You look pretty damn comfortable right now, Jisungie,” mocked the Medic, though he knew that Jisung wouldn’t expend energy to rise and try to fight him, so he just got a scrunched up nose and the middle finger from the Thief instead.

 

“Well, you’re pleasant and to think I was going to give you a surprise and everything.”

 

Minho’s ears seemed to perk up at that, though Jisung quashed his curiosity pretty quickly with his little scoff. “Don’t get your hopes up, Min. Changbinnie hyung’s surprises always suck. He said that to me once and I got all excited and he gave me a first aid kit. Like, how is that a surprise?!”

 

“You were always getting hurt and complaining about me using my energy to heal you! I thought you would be happy with it!”

 

“Yeah, well, you thought wrong. Come on then, what’s this big surprise of yours?”

 

With an unimpressed scowl, Changbin simply nodded his head at something on the other side of the tree, out of Minho and Jisung’s vision before the large feline growled lowly and made her way to his side. Immediately thinking the worst, the two boys leapt up into a fighting position, Minho automatically pulling Jisung behind him to protect him from what they assumed was a savage beast. Not understanding why Changbin was so calm, both boys tilted their already dumbstruck heads in confusion as the Nokkedi strolled over to the Medic before he gently scratched the top of her head.

 

“Changbin, what the fuck? Why isn’t it attacking you?” Minho questioned, hand still holding Jisung close against his back as he stared at the other with wide eyes.

 

“There would probably be a logical explanation for that, right? What do we think that would be?”

 

Jisung searched the other’s face for answers, the smile tugging at his lips showing that he was becoming rather smug at the boys’ reactions to the situation in front of them.

 

“That its tame?”

 

“Very good, Jisungie. Keep going.”

 

“Could you sound anymore patronising? It’s tame because someone is controlling it?”

 

“Excellent. It seems you’re finally using the one brain cell that you have. Why is she allowing me to pet her?”

 

“Christ, you are so full of yourself. Because she doesn’t see you as a threat? Whoever her master is, it’s someone that trusts y- holy shit. Is...is Lix here?”

 

Before he could look around to investigate, Jisung felt freezing fingertips slowly fall upon his eyes, blocking his sight as he heard a familiar giggle float past his ear.

 

“Guess who, Jisungie.”

 

“Oh my fucking god! It is you!” Wriggling out of Minho’s grasp, the Thief quickly turned to see one of his lost companions staring back at his with a smile he had missed far too much. Felix barely had time to react before he was glomped by the Thief and fell to the ground, both boys laughing strenuously as they held onto each other like they never wanted to let go.

 

Hovering above them with a smile of fascination, Minho couldn’t wait for Jisung to have relinquished his hug on the freckled boy so that he could show Felix he had missed him just as much but was distracted from the boys still placed firmly on the ground when he felt an arm slowly snake around his shoulder.

 

“Well, the kids certainly look happy that we’re together again, huh, Minho?”

 

“W-Woojinnie hyung…”

 

Pulling the other into an ever so gentle hug, the Bard felt the Tracker dig his nails into his back, grasping at the elder’s shirt and sniffling a little at the sight of his friends returning to them. Nuzzling his cheek into Minho’s hair, Woojin felt the undeniable soft spot he always had for the younger boy flourish with sympathy.

 

“You brought him back to us, Minho, just like you said you would. We’ll never be able to repay you for that, thank you so much. I’m so relieved to see that you’re safe.”

 

He hadn’t really been sure how to approach Minho when they reunited, knowing that the boy was probably still worried about how all of them could view him since they hadn’t really had a chance to talk properly since the whole incident with Jisung finding out who he was actually began. It seemed the soft and reassuring approach worked best, just as Woojin thought it would.

 

“Hey, do I not get a hug too? I’m feeling awfully left out over here!”

 

“Seungminnie!” both called in unison before squirming from their hugs to meet the red headed boy who laughed loudly at being crushed between his two friends that placed their protective arms around him to keep the Illusionist all to themselves.

 

“Jisungie?”

 

The Thief gingerly moved away from Seungmin, coming face to face with their eldest friend who looked like he was ready to break down at the sight of Jisung standing in front of him. Slowly feeling his face being gathered up in the oldest boy’s hands, Jisung left out a small sigh at the relief in Woojin’s glittering eyes before he was pulled into a tender embrace, a gentle hand falling upon the back of his head to draw him even more towards the elder.

 

“I honestly thought we’d lost you for good this time, Jisungie. I thought you weren’t going to come back to us but you’re alright. You are ok, aren’t you? I’m not hugging you too hard, am I? Does it still hurt anywhere? You were so brave to endure something like that. Are you tired? Do you need me to carry you?”

 

“Dad, you’re rambling again. I’m alright, Woojinnie hyung, moreso because you guys are back with us,” Jisung beamed, patting the elder’s back while swaying, letting the other know he had nothing to worry about anymore when it came to him.

 

Coming back to the present as they came down from their euphoria, Jisung and Minho quickly looked to the Nokkedi that was still placed at Changbin’s side, nuzzling her nose into his palm.

 

“Lix, is that yours? Can you summon more beasts now?”

 

“I’ve just managed to call her, Jisungie. So, I’m making progress, even if it is very slow. Her name is Sawa.”

 

“Oh, such a pretty kitty. With extremely sharp claws and teeth that could probably rip my throat out. She’s incredible, Lix. Mani! Come here, boy!” Jisung exclaimed once he saw the little fox upon Changbin’s shoulders and ushered the beast to come to him instead. Mani did just that, bouncing on his little paws across the forest floor until he leapt up onto the Thief’s shoulders before having beneath his chin scratched like he loved.

 

“Man, they’re just doing whatever they want now. I didn’t tell Mani to go to Jisung, he just did it. It feels like I’m not even using up as much energy to keep them around. It’s kind of a weird sensation to be honest,” Felix mumbled to Changbin, scratching the back of his head as his beasts took it upon themselves to act on their own. He knew that he was still technically controlling them since they remained calm and obedient in not harming those around him but it seemed like they had almost gained free will. Felix still trusted them though; he could feel their bond grow stronger at the thought.

 

“Well, like you said, you’re an exception. Maybe this is another piece that makes you different; your beasts act on their own but only do things that they know you would approve of. They can probably sense what you’re feeling right now too. It’s pretty amazing, Lix.”

 

Chuckling at Changbin’s compliment, Felix leaned in to peck the other on the cheek, thanking him for staying alive and coming back safely to him before wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him close.

 

“Oh god, are we really going to have to be subject to this grossness from now on? I mean, come on guys, get a room.”

 

“Jisung, you open your mouth again about me or Lix and I can tell Minho hyung plenty of your secrets and embarrassing moments before he met you.”

 

Eyebrows raised and shrinking away, Jisung zipped his lips with his fingers before holding up his hands and throwing away the imaginary key, swiftly going back to petting the jade monster who was tickling the Thief’s nose with his tail.

 

“Oh? Secrets? What kinds of embarrassing moments?” The Tracker seemed to be asking Jisung more than anyone else but Changbin took it upon himself to answer the other’s question.

 

“Well, moments like-”

 

“Hyung!”

 

“That one time I accidentally walked in on him in the bathroom and he was singing girl group songs into a hairbrush. That was always a fun memory of mine.”

 

“Oh, fuck you, hyung!” Jisung yelled, startling Mani, though the Thief quickly whispered apologies and made him relax once again around his shoulders. Cheeks heating up because of all the eyes on him, Jisung quickly turned on his heel to begin walking away towards the next village but was stopped by a firm but reassuring grip around his waist.

 

“Why is that embarrassing? Jisung’s got a wonderful voice. I know that for a fact. Nothing wrong with belting out a good pop song every now and then, is there?” Minho tapped the tip of the younger’s nose, garnering a little smile that made his heart do a backflip.

 

“Whipped!” belted Seungmin, earning him two glares that held the same sort of ominous threat.

 

“Alright, that’s enough. Come on, Seungminnie. We’ll head to the next village first. I can’t be around this much mush without wanting to gouge my eyes out.”

 

“You don’t have the right to say that, hyung. Not after everything we’ve put up with from you and Channie hyung!” Changbin reasoned, dodging the slap that came his way in response.

 

Finally letting go of their little squabble, the group that had grown in size decided to head onto the next village, Felix never letting go of the Medic’s hand as they traversed down the lengthy, dirt road. Felix glanced at Sawa walking by his side, petting her with silent thanks for appearing and saving Changbin, knowing that Felix had no idea that he was close by. He nodded, letting her know that she was allowed to leave, doing the same with Mani when the little fox looked up from Jisung’s shoulders.

 

Noticing the monsters evaporate, Minho quickly whipped around to stare at Felix in confusion, being more than sure he hadn’t heard the boy utter the chant to dismiss his beasts.

 

“How the hell did you do that, Lix?”

 

“Tell them to leave without reciting the words? Apparently, it’s a thing that I can do.”

 

“How? Beast Masters can’t do that. Nobody can. I’ve come across plenty of Beast Masters and that’s not a thing that’s possible. You want to let me in on your little secret?”

 

“I will as soon as I figure it out for myself,” the boy gestured with his thumbs up, huffing at the contemplative look on the Tracker’s face.

 

* * *

 

Between all six boys and Changbin’s earlier escapades with beast hunting, they had more than enough to rent three rooms for the night to house all of them before they continued on their journey towards Haknal. At this pace, Minho estimated that it would only take another two days or so to reach the town where they hoped the rest of their members would be waiting for them. None of them had received another wisp from Jeongin since they had left the houses they had stayed in after being rescued but they put that down to the young Necromancer wanting to conserve energy and not tire himself out, probably on Chan’s orders.

 

Handing the keys to Jisung, Seungmin and Woojin, Minho didn’t have time to walk up to the Thief to ask to share a room with him before Felix was in front of him, hands on his chest to stop him moving forward.

 

“Hyung, I know you don’t wanna leave Jisungie but can I stay with him tonight? I promise that I’ll keep watch over him. I’ll even keep Sawa and Mani out until we fall asleep. Please? I just want to talk with him for a little while, I’ve missed him.”

 

As much as he liked to tease Changbin about how whipped he was for the freckled boy, Minho knew that everyone in their little group had a big problem saying no when Felix asked something of them. The hopeful glint in his eyes, the adorable fidgeting fingers, the tilted head with a smile so dazzling that Minho immediately surrendered with a nod of his head. He knew he wouldn’t always be able to be by Jisung’s side but was confident that he could trust the other boys in his group to take his place. Felix jumped in the air, swinging around to meet a giggling Jisung before pulling him quickly to their room.

 

“You’re so soft around Lix, hyung.”

 

“I think we all have that issue, Seungminnie.”

 

A sliver of moonlight slipped through the open window as the boys snuggled beneath the plump duvet on the single bed. Jisung shimmied in first, laying down and letting his eyes fall shut before he felt the covers being lifted off of him, eyeing Felix holding them up over his head and gesturing for the Thief to move over and make room for him, something that was rather difficult to do in a bed made for one person but complied nonetheless and hugged Felix close so that he wouldn’t fall onto the wooden floor.

 

“Did you really miss me that much, Lix? How come you wanted to stay with me tonight?”

 

“Felt like we could talk a little, that’s all.”

 

“Alright, what do you want to talk about?”

 

Facing the Beast Master, Jisung saw his smile slowly falter, the happiness in his eyes falling away like the sun behind the mountains, the optimistic shine that always covered his face dissipating at the mention of the last question.

 

“I want you to talk to me about this whole incident with Gyujin.”

 

Now Jisung understood why Felix’s expression had grown so dark, why there was no luminosity in his tone like there usually was. The Thief felt himself instantly freeze up as Felix’s arms were still around him, knowing that this was definitely something he was not comfortable in discussing. He attempted to move back, hitting off of the bitter wall behind him, unable to escape the topic being put to him.

 

“Why would you ask me something like that, Felix? It’s over. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

 

“The incident itself is over, that doesn’t mean you thinking about it is. You’re still scared, I can see it, I can feel it but what you’re scared of, I don’t know. You have the outward appearance of looking alright perfected but to me, you’re awfully easy to read. It’s causing you to have nightmares, isn’t it?”

 

Jisung frowned at that, unsure how Felix was able to discern that he wasn’t sleeping properly so easily. “There’s no way you could know something like that.”

 

“Like I said, Jisungie, easy to read. Everyone in our group is really. Ok, maybe Minho hyung wasn’t but now that he’s being honest, he’s a completely open book. I’m not asking you to describe in detail what happened, I just want to know why you’re still worried.”

 

Scraping his teeth across his chapped bottom lip, Jisung moved back into Felix’s embrace, snuggling into his chest a little as his fears reared their ugly head.

 

“I could hear all of you in pain. It felt like I was still unconscious but I could hear you. When I finally regained my senses, I saw all of you scattered around the area and what he was doing to Min. I couldn’t let that happen to you guys. I stole a scalpel off of the table beside me earlier on in the day and hid it up my sleeve. I was planning on using it to try and cut the ropes holding me down but Min managed to do it instead before Gyujin came. When he was torturing him, I only saw one course of action, I had to stop him, I couldn’t let him kill any of you, so…”

 

Felix felt Jisung’s body tremble slightly beside him, his scrunched up features truly depicting the turmoil inside the Thief’s chest. He never wanted Jisung to have to relive this experience but knew that if he didn’t get the other to talk to him about this, it would eat away at Jisung without him even noticing it was happening to him.

 

“So, you saved us. You saved all of us and without you, we would have been dead. It couldn’t have been an easy thing to do, Jisungie but-”

 

“That’s the thing, it was easy.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Killing him, it was such an easy decision to make. I didn’t feel any conflict within myself when the predicament on what to do came along. I saw my friends being hurt and I killed my brother because of that. The really terrible thing? I don’t feel any sort of guilt or regret after doing it. Taking someone’s life, no matter who they were, it should evoke something within you, right? Stabbing Gyujin, I...I didn’t despise it and it’s making me feel like a terrible person. I murdered someone but it didn’t feel wrong. Maybe he was right, maybe we’re not so different...”

 

Unwinding his arms from around Jisung, Felix bolted upright, swinging his legs out of the bed and traipsing across the darkening room, startling the Thief in the process.

 

“Lix, what are you…?”  


Faintly glimmering as he took it within his fingers, Jisung began to wonder why Felix was twirling one of Seungmin’s arrows around in his hands, all of the boys leaving their weapons in the Thief and Beast Master’s room since it was the biggest, before he sternly made his way back over to Jisung, pulling the boy to sit on the edge of the bed and stare at his highly unamused face.

 

“Open your hand, Jisung.”

 

He did so, palm face up as Felix dropped the weapon into his hand, making the Thief grasp it with trembling fingers before directing the top of the arrow straight over his heart. Jisung recoiled harshly, trying to get the sharp tip away from Felix’s chest before he hurt himself but the painfully strong grip around his wrist deterred him from moving anywhere.

 

“Come on, Jisung, what are you waiting for?”

 

“W-what? Lix, what are you doing? Please, you’re going to hurt yourself! Take the arrow away!”

 

“I don’t see what you’re hesitating for. You said you were just like Gyujin, so why aren’t you killing me?”

 

“Lix!”

  
“I’m sure I’ve annoyed you on plenty of occasions, there must have been times where you wanted me gone. I’m giving you the perfect opportunity here, I’m not going to fight back. Push the arrow in, Jisung!”

 

Jisung couldn’t quite grasp what was happening to him right now. He felt like he had been dragged into some sick nightmare but the fear he felt at the thought of harming Felix, one of his best friends, was on par with what had coursed through his veins when he had seen Gyujin harming all of them back in the warehouse. Tremors wracked his body as he felt stinging tears beginning to well up in his eyes when Felix put a little more pressure onto the tip of the arrow, Jisung thinking that it would pierce his skin any second. He could never harm Felix, he could never harm any of his friends and that was something that would never change, no matter how much the darkness built up inside of him.

 

“L-Lix, I don’t wanna h-hurt you. Please, I can’t...You’re my friend...I would never...”

 

Immediately loosening his grip around the Thief’s wrist, the weapon fell from Jisung’s hand and thumped harshly when it came into contact with the floor. Following the arrow with his eyes and flinching at the sound, Jisung’s fluttering breaths mirrored his shaking hands and quivering lip, glossy eyes moving upwards to stare at the Beast Master still hovering over him. Feeling warm fingertips caressing his cheeks, Jisung let out a little sob, following Felix’s eyes as he sat beside him on the bed.

 

“You won’t hurt me? You won’t kill me? I’m your friend? Then that is more than enough proof that you are _nothing_ like Gyujin. Do you understand me, Jisungie? Listen to me right now because I don’t want to have to repeat this again. You are one of the most wonderful people I have ever come across, I honestly feel so lucky to have met someone like you. You make everyday so much brighter for all of us and after Minho hyung left, seeing you like that, it made me feel like a light had gone out in my world. Why can’t you see how kind you are? How wonderfully weird? How sweet, hilarious, brave and ultimately _good_ you are? You are not your brother and you never will be. So, if that is what you’ve been worrying about, then you don’t need to. You acted in self defence to save your life and the lives of your friends and I will be eternally grateful for that. We love you so much, Jisungie and you are not allowed to forget that. Ever. Alright?”

 

Pulling his sleeves down over his hands, Jisung began to dab his eyes, erasing the tears that were just beginning to spill over. It had been a very dramatic way to get Jisung to see sense but it was a tactic that was needed in the state he was in. Minho and Changbin had constantly asked him if he was alright, he had said that he was, as he always did when someone inquired to how he was doing. They wouldn’t push him to speak, for fear of making the Thief feel uncomfortable but that just meant that Jisung repressed some of the self depreciating feelings he was beginning to suffer from. He didn’t want to let the others know he was struggling with thoughts of how he could be just like his brother, that he was a killer and Gyujin saw that in him but Felix wasn’t having any of that, breaking through Jisung’s defenses and attacking the shadows that were taking over his mind.

 

“Was that too harsh? Did I scare you? Sorry, I just got really angry when you were putting yourself down like that. I have a bit of a mean streak when people are rude to my friends. That includes when my friends are talking shit about themselves. I’m sorry, Jisungie, please don’t cry. I’m here and always will be when you need me. You’re not your brother, end of discussion, so there is nothing for you to worry about on that front. You have thoughts like these again, you come and speak with me, deal?”

 

Holding his hand out for the other to shake, Felix managed a sombre smile, one that made Jisung giggle at how quickly Felix’s demeanor changed.

 

“Jesus, you really are over dramatic. What does Changbinnie hyung see in you?”

 

“Probably the same thing Minho hyung sees in you.”

 

“Oof, I had that one coming. Touché, my friend, touché.”

  
Felix gently tapped the mattress as an indication for Jisung to lie back down to sleep, seeing that the boy was not worrying as much as he was about, what Felix though was, a very unnecessary problem. The other quietly obeyed, falling back onto the cream, feather pillow before a rather urgent knock came upon their door, making both boys worriedly whip their heads towards the sound.

 

“Jisungie, Lix, everything alright? Can we come in?”

 

As Felix scrambled to get into bed beside Jisung, the Thief let out small huffs of laughter at how terrified Felix looked at the thoughts of Woojin scolding him for his rather theatrical method of making Jisung see sense. Pressing a finger to his lips, the freckled boy pleaded with the other to keep quiet about the moment they had just shared.

 

“Yeah, hyung, you can come in.”

 

The creak resounding throughout the room as the eldest boys opened the door reminded Jisung of nails clawing their way down a chalkboard, making him cover his ears in annoyance. Minho and Woojin poked their heads in, glancing with raised eyebrows at the boys who shared a single bed, leaving the other to be occupied by Mani and Sawa, both asleep despite the spectacle that had occurred mere moments ago.

 

“Are you two ok? We thought we heard yelling. That wasn’t you, was it?”

 

“H-huh? Yelling? No, Minho hyung, that wasn’t us. We’re just talking. Quietly. No raised voices. Nothing dubious happening in this room, right, Jisungie?”

 

“Oh, yeah, we’re fine. We were just discussing what happened while we were separated. I was admiring his beasts. Lix very dramatically nearly made me stab him. Oh and we were talking about you guys too. That’s pretty much the gist of what we’ve been up to. No fighting here. Jilix for life!” Jisung cheered, grabbing Felix’s hand and pumping it into the air with his own before Felix started to slap him with his free hand, terror invading his eyes at the thought of what Minho might do to him if he took what Jisung had just said seriously.

 

“Ah, ok then. We’ll let the two of you sleep. Lix, tell Sawa and Mani to get off of the bed. I don’t think the owner would be too happy to have beasts wrecking his bedding.”

 

“Ok, Woojinnie hyung. Mani, Sawa.” Looking up from their comfortable position, both beasts maneuvered down off of the bed, Mani hopping up onto the feline’s head before she settled down again on the floor and immediately fell back asleep.

 

They bid their hyungs good night and once they heard the click of the door, both boys burst into laughter, immediately shushing each other so as not to wake the people in the room next to theirs.

 

“Thanks, Lix. Maybe I needed that kick in the butt to get me out of that spiral.”

 

“Anytime, Jisungie. You’re too much of a bright person to be thinking such dark thoughts. I was ready to murder you when you nearly outed what I just did though. Minho hyung could have slain me right here! When he’s around, we don’t mention hurting you, emotionally or physically!”

 

Falling into more convulsions of laughter, Jisung hugged Felix a little tighter, knowing that Minho’s protective instincts would have been awfully conflicted if Felix were the one to cause him harm. Seeing the freckled boy’s eyes begin to droop from tiredness, the Thief pulled the covers up a little bit more, thinking that Felix didn’t plan on going back to his own bed tonight.

 

“Thanks again, Lix. Love you lots.”

 

“Love you too, Jisungie. Goodnight.”

 

With one last look towards Sawa and Mani, Felix smiled at his beasts before they disappeared into the air, turning back towards Jisung who was already after drifting off. Finally reuniting with some of his members, the Beast Master couldn’t wait to get back to Haknal to complete their team. He would only have to wait a couple more days but felt that it wasn’t soon enough. He couldn’t wait for his family to be whole once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jilix is the ultimate friendship and I needed a little more of them in my life. It was a little angsty but it ended with fluff, so that doesn't count! Have a great week you guys!


	36. Don`t be afraid of waiting. True love will always be back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello again. Hope you guys are doing well. Here's the next chapter for you. Some more reunions. Enjoy!

The torrential downpour hadn’t let up in the two days that the reunited friends had been travelling together. It would most definitely have been a deterrent from leaving the comfort of the inn that they had rented out but the thoughts of finally completing their team made them brave the horrendous weather and trek towards Haknal. It was not the intended use for Changbin’s shield but Jisung had begged the Medic to use it to protect them from freezing droplets that rained down in front of them. Changbin always had a problem in refusing Jisung’s requests but ever since the whole incident with Gyujin, he couldn’t find it within himself to ever say no to Jisung again. Conceding defeat, the Medic raised his hands above him, urging everyone to huddle together as they walked so that he wouldn’t have to extend the shield more than necessary. Having pretty much perfected using this particular ability, it didn’t draw an excessive amount of energy from the Medic but it did continuously sap strength from him at a miniscule level and Changbin knew that he couldn’t keep it up forever. He just hoped he would last long enough to make it to the next resting area; the Medic didn’t find the thoughts of being drenched all the way back to Haknal very appealing. 

 

Feeling a reassuring grip on his shoulder, he looked back to spot Felix, doing that thing that he does, smiling at him like he was too pure to be amongst regular people. 

 

“Binnie, if you feel tired, let me know. I can share some energy with you. I can do that, right? Jinnie told me that’s what he did when you healed me after being shot. He transferred some energy to help you out. So, I’ll do the same if you need me to.”

 

“What did I actually do to deserve you, Lix?” 

 

“It must have been something really awful to be stuck with someone like me,” Felix giggled, hooking his chin over the Medic’s shoulder and walking slowly behind him. He did eventually ask the Beast Master for some help, feeling a little drowsy even though they had another couple of hours to reach their destination. Felix immediately rested his palms on Changbin’s shoulders, seeing a golden light fall from beneath the spaces between his fingers and smiled slightly at the ticklish feeling buzzing beneath his fingertips. 

 

“Huh, that’s interesting. Your energy manifests itself as the same colour as your aura, Lix. I didn’t realise that was the case.” 

 

All boys turned to stare at Minho who was marvelling at the brightness underneath Felix’s hands. 

 

“Golden? That’s the colour of my aura?” 

 

“Yeah, it’s always really pretty to look at, everyone’s here is too.”

 

“Hyung! What colour is mine?” Seungmin piped up, jumping beside the Tracker as he latched onto his arm, seemingly excited to hear about the colour of the energy flowing around inside of him. 

 

“Yours is maybe...periwinkle? A kind of soft blue, Seungminnie. It gives off a very calming feel and the energy you produce never really surges, it stays at a constant level all of the time,” Minho explained, cooing over the happiness that crossed over the Illusionist’s face when he heard about the shade of his bubbly energy.

 

“What about the rest of them, Min? I can see it in Changbinnie hyung and Woojinnie hyung’s faces that they want to know too.” Glancing towards the aforementioned people, Jisung threw a grin as the Bard and Medic tried to hide their embarrassed faces as they came to the conclusion that they were not as subtle as they assumed when trying to hide their thoughts.

 

Chuckling at the looks on their faces, Minho gestured to a nearby resting area, thinking that Changbin could use a breather from shielding them from the continuous stream of rain. Falling underneath the makeshift shelter, all boys waited excitedly to hear about the colours within them. 

 

“Woojinnie hyung’s is amethyst, his energy completely depends on his mood. When you’re calm or give hugs, the energy you produce is almost untraceable but when you’re angry or upset, it feels like I’m being crushed under the pressure. It’s unusual, I haven’t come across an energy like that very often.” 

 

The Bard seemed overly proud of Minho’s depiction of his aura, with Seungmin nodding with an understanding expression, thinking that the colour of Woojin’s aura suited him down to the ground. 

 

“Changbinnie’s is nearly what you would expect, a pearl white but surprisingly, it’s not hard to look at. People with white auras are generally difficult to keep watching as it begins to hurt your eyes but not Changbinnie’s. Like Seungminnie, your energy stays at a pretty sustained momentum though I have seen it rise on a couple of occasions.” 

 

“Oh, really? Like when?” 

 

“I won’t go into detail but all incidents involved a certain person with a golden aura,” Minho quipped, immediately seeing the two boys sitting huddled together with fingers intertwined blush at the explanation. 

 

“Changbinnie’s isn’t difficult to keep watching but Lix’s is so bright that I have to avert my eyes sometimes. Your energy is astounding! I feel like you give off sparks of electricity at times, Lix. Maybe that’s why you’re so powerful too, your energy is really something else.” 

 

Felix had learned more about himself in the last week than he had in the whole of the five months he had spent in Phantasm. Between learning about controlling his beasts and finding out about his energy and aura, the Beast Master felt that he was becoming more comfortable with who he was, coming to the conclusion that maybe he had changed from who he thought he once was but in a more than welcome way. 

  
“Jisungie already knows that his is a soft, cherry red and the level of his energy simply depends on whether he is asleep or awake. Like Lix, he has immeasurable energy when he’s awake but because of the darker shade of his aura, it’s easier to stare at.”

 

“Do you stare at me a lot, Min?”

 

“ _ Anyways,  _ that’s all of you here. Channie hyung’s is shimmering sapphire, Hyunjinnie’s is a dark, forest green and Innie’s is a pale pink.”

 

“And what about yours, hyung? Do you know the colour of your aura?”   
  


Minho looked taken aback at Felix’s question, apparently not expecting that particular inquiry to pop up. Noticing the stares digging into his skin, the Tracker ran a hand around the back of his neck, trying to think of a way out of answering a rather uncomfortable topic that he now realised he shouldn’t have brought up. 

 

“Y-yeah, I know what it is but…” 

 

Noticing the bobbing leg and restless fingers, Jisung placed an appeasing hand on the boy’s leg to lessen the feelings of worry that he could obviously see creeping up on the elder. “But?”

 

“It’s black. My aura is black.” Silence dancing around him, Minho could already feel the confused gazes full of pity before he even saw them. He didn’t hold a beautiful colour like the rest of his family did, not that he expected to, he never deserved to have dazzling and delicate colours running through his veins. 

 

“Yeah, so it’s-”

 

“Oh, that’s so cool! So, is it like an obsidian kind of black?”

 

“Wh-”

 

“Nah, I think Minho’s would be more of a charcoal kind of colour; it wouldn’t hold complete darkness like that.”

 

“You guys-”

 

“Well, I think Minho hyung’s would edge more towards ebony but I guess I don’t-”

 

“Guys!”

 

Turning around to glance at the Tracker positioned on the ground, all boys were confused as to why there was such a disbelieving look on the other’s face. 

 

“It’s just black. No shade, no tone. Just dark, depressing black. Nobody would want to hold a colour like that, not when there are alluring colours like all of you hold.” 

 

“Huh? You think black is depressing? Black holds power. It’s mysterious and sophisticated, which completely suits the kind of personality you have. Black is needed for all other colours to have depth and hue and that makes perfect sense since you bring out the best in all of us, Minho, especially Jisungie. Why on earth would you think that black is a colour that nobody would want? It’s so beautiful.” 

 

Completely awestruck at Woojin’s interpretation of his aura, the Tracker tried to speak, only managing to mouth the words as they stuck in his throat. Being aware of the colour of his soul for so long, he would never have said that someone would come up with a description like that for the shade of hopelessness flowing around inside of him. 

 

“It also means darkness, grief, death,” Minho muttered not trying to be heard by anyone in particular but as always, the person that was needed to erase those harmful thoughts was right by his side. 

 

“That’s a part of you too, Min,” Jisung whispered, edging closer to the Tracker as the others went about their own conversations about the colour of their auras, knowing that Jisung and Minho needed a moment to themselves, to get the elder out of that harmful headspace. 

 

“It’s a part of who you are and you should never try to erase that. Your aura depicts your personality and no matter the colour, I know that it’s beautiful because how could it not be when it shows the kind of person you truly are? Don’t try to hide it, especially not from me.”

 

A gentle kiss to the forehead. 

 

“Remember that’s what we said, no more secrets.”

 

Another to the tip of the nose.

 

“Nobody else truly knows you but me and that’s the way it’s going to stay until you decide otherwise.”

 

A tender peck to the lips.

 

“I love everything about you and that includes all of the things that you don’t love about yourself.” 

 

A forceful smack to the back of the head.

 

“Jisung, what the fuck?!”

 

Shrugging shoulders and a goofy smile showed the Tracker that the moment had become far too serious for the younger, Jisung deciding to break the unwelcome tension in the only way he knew how: playful tormenting. 

 

“Minho, language,” Woojin mumbled, keeping his eyes on Seungmin as the continued their conversation, not needing to see what had happened to pretty quickly figure it out. 

 

“Hyung! He was the one who-”

 

“Seriously? You going to run to dad to tell on me? Thought you above being a tattletail, Min,” the Thief taunted, obviously trying to get a rise out of Minho and get him to temporarily forget about the negative thoughts that had entered his head. 

 

“Han Jisung, come here. I just wanna talk to you about something.”

 

“Jisung! Don’t run out in the rain! You’ll catch your death! Oh, for goodness sake. Minho! Stop chasing him!” 

 

Seungmin and Felix fell into a fit of giggles as they clutched onto their stomachs, watching Minho chase Jisung around the overgrown grasslands surrounding them. Woojin was beginning to feel like he was losing control, wishing that Chan was here to help, combining their power as the older members but for now, he would just have to use mild force and threats to get the two idiots being soaked by the pouring rain to listen to him.

 

* * *

 

Minho’s estimations had been accurate, it had taken them just over two days to reach their destination, to walk through the massive mahogony doors that kept Haknal safe. This was the closest thing to home that all of them had within the game and they could honestly say that it felt extremely good to be back. The bakery where Jisung would visit every morning before he decided to join Changbin on his travels emitted mouth watering aromas as the boys walked past, thinking that they may have to return to that particular establishment before leaving for Balisa. 

 

The rain had finally let up as the group made their way to the inn and Changbin was allowed to drop his shield. Wringing his arms that tingled as he continuously poured energy through them to maintain his shield, he nodded towards Felix, letting him know that he could finally remove his hands from his shoulders and rest too. 

 

Woojin bowed deeply to Chul Moo as he passed the weapons emporium where Chan had bought his first sword, the bulky man grinning and waving at the group of boys before resuming molding his weapons out of the front of his store. 

 

Finally seeing the familiar inn straight ahead of them, the boys heaved a heavy sigh of relief, realising that they could finally rest in peace, knowing that they would soon have all of their friends beside them once again. Thinking that the other boys may have already arrived in the small town, Jisung broke into a full sprint towards the front doors, leaving the others behind in his tracks. Turning the handle to saunter into the front hallway, he noticed Joomi rearranging beautiful white and pink cherry blossoms in a intricately designed vase on the desk she was situated in front of. Planning on surprising the woman, Jisung put his Thief abilities into play, creeping with gentle steps towards his unsuspecting victim who he held such a close relationship with. Hands raised and mouth open to yell, Jisung never got any further before he felt his hood being tugged back gently as an arm came around his neck and a soft palm covered his mouth to silence the scream that had not yet left his mouth. 

 

“Joomi-ssi, we’re back. It’s lovely to see you again.” 

 

Jumping a little, but much less than she would have had Jisung completed his mission of terrifying the poor woman, she glanced at Minho and his kind greeting, noticing Jisung wriggle around in his grip before the Thief licked the older boy’s hand that was clasped over his mouth and freed himself. He glared at Minho, obviously not impressed that his attempt at playfully scaring the woman had been quashed. 

 

“My boys...you’re alright! Thank heavens! I watched the tournament, every single day. Jisung, my dear, come here to me.”

 

Not having time to react, Jisung was immediately enveloped in a hug that he knew was reserved for mothers, one that nobody else could give because the feeling it gave off, the warmth it exuded, was so full of love and relief that Jisung melted into Joomi’s arms. Seeing the woman place a kiss to the top of the Thief’s head, Minho couldn’t help but feel his lips pull upwards at the sight of the younger boy getting the attention that he had missed out on his entire life, the treatment that he more than deserved.  

 

“The monitors cut off so suddenly when the explosion went off and I was so incredibly worried that you and Changbin hadn’t made it out.” Looking towards the front door, Joomi smiled an impossibly wide smile as she saw Changbin and the others enter her establishment. “It seems that I had nothing to worry about.” 

 

Letting go of the Thief, Joomi moved closer to Minho, pulling the boy by the arm and embracing him too. Being so unused to the idea of a motherly figure holding him close, he stiffened immediately, eyes looking ahead and straight at Jisung, wondering how he was supposed to react. The Thief giggled before motioning to wrap his arms around her. He did so while breathing in the scents of vanilla and jasmine. He stared at Jisung as he fell into the hug even further, his irises glowing golden as he looked down at the woman and grinned at the colour of her aura. 

 

_ “Honey,”  _ Minho mouthed towards the Thief, Jisung realising that he was telling him the colour of the matronly woman’s aura and not calling him an adorable pet name.

 

“Do you know what my class is, Minho? I’m a Fate. My special ability? I can see marks of fate that can connect people. They come in the form of tattoos that I can see when I use my skills,” Joomi whispered, not allowing any of the other boys to hear what she was conveying to Minho.

 

“Golden ones connect friends and all of you in this room share one. It falls upon your upper arm and is in the unique shape of nine interlaced rings. Black ones connect enemies and the last time you came here, you had one that connected you to the other boys, in the shape of an eye but it was fading, meaning that you were trying to be truthful with them.” Hearing the boy’s breath hitch in his chest a little, Joomi held onto him a little bit tighter to comfort him and let him know that he didn’t have to worry about the fact that she had known something was going on beneath the surface of his relationship with the other boys the last time they had visited Haknal. 

 

“I thought as long as you were trying to be honest, I wouldn’t interfere and tell the others. You all needed to figure that out for yourselves. There doesn’t seem to be a need to inquire as to what that was about because that mark is now gone and has been replaced by another. Red is for romantic relationships and you have a crimson sun over your heart. White represents soulmates and the sun is complimented with a crystalline ribbon around its frame, meaning that you’ve found your soulmate in this game too. It just so happens that your soulmate is also who you share your romantic relationship with, though this is not always the case. You share that specific red and white tattoo with one other in this room and if that’s the case, then I’m trusting you to look after him. I know you will, you’ve kept him safe so far. So, thank you, Minho.” 

 

The woman finally let Minho breathe, squeezing him a little bit tighter after her final praise, looking at him with shining eyes and caressing his cheek before moving to the boys beside the door. 

 

“What was that about, Min?” 

 

“Nothing, Jisung. Joomi-ssi was just thanking me for looking after you, that’s all.” 

 

Joomi happily greeted the rest of the boys with laughter and cuddles, stopping at Seungmin, remembering how he had shied away from her when they had been introduced the last time the boys had all stayed at the inn. She tilted her head with a sad smile, thinking about how she had witnessed what he had endured at the hands of Seunghyun during the tournament and wished she could erase the memories of pain from his mind. She carefully raised her fingers, cupping his cheek before Seungmin moved forwards, wrapping his arms around the woman who immediately returned the embrace of the red headed boy. It was a vast change in demeanor but one that Joomi was more than thankful for. 

 

“Wait, why are there only six of you? Where are Chan, Hyunjin and Jeongin?” Joomi questioned, a rather anxious expression replacing her once cheery smile. 

 

Thinking it best not to go into detail about the escapades that they had all recently dealt with, especially with regards to Jisung, all boys quickly glanced at each other, urging someone in the group to come up with a lie to explain the absence of three of their members. 

 

“They’re on their way, Joomi-ssi. They just had to stop for a little while and we went on ahead. It won’t be long before they’re here,” explained Woojin, clasping his hands politely in front of him with a reassuring grin on his face. 

 

Perhaps it was just his imagination but Woojin was sure that Joomi’s expression momentarily changed, almost as if she knew that the Bard had not been telling the entire truth but thankfully did not inquire further on the subject and accepted his reason with the bob of her head. 

 

“Seems like the rest of you have red and white tattoos as well,” Joomi muttered to herself, noticing the boys in front of her stare at her in confusion before she bounced back behind her desk, handing them keys to the rooms she always kept for them. 

 

Minho and Changbin took Jisung to his room, the Medic giving him another check up to see how his condition was progressing. Changbin was glad to see that he was pretty much back to the physical state he had been before the series of events had begun, though his energy level would take a little while longer to recover. The Medic promised Felix that he would meet up with him later on in the afternoon but mentioned that it would take a little while to look over Jisung and prompted him to go and visit the town with the others instead. 

 

After he had finished his examination, Changbin bid the two boys goodbye, telling Jisung not to overexert himself until his energy was back to normal but that he wouldn’t have to worry about reopening wounds or infection from now on; he was well on the way to recovery. Finally being alone, Minho rose and detached his Katana from his back, thinking that his sword needed to be retouched pretty soon after the beating it took from the fight with Gyujin. 

 

“So, you wanna tell me what you and Lix were fighting about the night you stayed together?” 

 

“Huh? We didn’t fight, we were just kidding around. We told you that, Min.”

 

“Right, yet your auras flared at the same time. After I heard raised voices, I activated my abilities and Lix’s aura sparked, as did yours. Heightened emotions affects some people’s energy levels a little and you fall under that category. So, when Lix started to shout, I was pretty sure that it was you guys and went with Woojinnie hyung to make sure you were alright. I know I didn’t have anything to worry about when it was Lix with you but I was just wondering why you guys got upset.” 

 

Jisung didn’t particularly want to tell Minho about his thoughts of self ridicule, even though he was always vocal about not keeping any secrets from each other. He felt much better after his talk with Felix and hadn’t thought about the subject of Gyujin since then but the look in Minho’s eyes, one that showed the Thief that he was waiting for a reasonable answer, made Jisung capture his lips between his teeth. 

 

“Min, it’s not a big deal, so don’t freak out, alright?” 

 

Squinted eyes told Jisung that this would probably be exactly what would happen and decided not to go into too much detail about why he and Felix had engaged in a slight altercation. 

 

“I was just...thinking about certain things about myself. Lix didn’t agree with me and we just fought a little. We’re ok now, I’m ok now, so you don’t need to ask Lix about it.”

 

“Sounds like you’re incriminating yourself. You’re being awfully cryptic about it and you’re telling me not to ask Lix? Jisung…”

 

Putting on his best pout accompanied with the cutest puppy eyes he could muster, Jisung tilted his head towards Minho and made a small heart with his fingers. “If you love me, you’ll let it go, Min.”

 

“Oh, for heaven’s- Fine, I’ll let it go. I’m far too soft on you, Han Jisung. Do you know that?” 

 

“I do and I have you wrapped around my little finger.” Raising his hands to defend himself as Minho dove towards him and dug his fingers into his side, blowing raspberries on his cheeks before pecking them with soft lips, Jisung laughed ravingly as he tried to squirm away. 

 

“You’re lucky I do love you or else you would be in so much trouble.”

 

* * *

 

“Seungminnie, you alright?”    
  


Jumping a little since he was sure that nobody followed him out beyond the gates, Seungmin didn’t need to turn around to know who had joined him to stare at the horizon where he hoped he would see familiar figures soon materialising. 

  
“Yeah, Lix, just thinking that if they’re coming from Kalmm, then they’d be coming from this direction and they’d like someone to be waiting for them,” Seungmin smiled, though Felix could see that there was something hidden behind the curl of his lips. 

 

Seungmin had left Woojin and Felix earlier on in the day, not in the mood to see and explore the city they had briefly visited the last time. He had mentioned that he would go for a little stroll in the fields just outside of the gates, earning a worrisome look from Woojin but promised that he wouldn’t stay out there for too long or stray too far, assuring him that once the sun started to set that he would return through the city gates. 

 

“Are you going to tell me why you’re nervous about seeing Jinnie again? You’ve decided that you’re going to confess and you know that he likes you back, right? I can vouch for that. So, what’s the problem?” 

 

Shifting uncomfortably on the boulder he had placed himself upon just outside the gates of the city, Seungmin couldn’t help but tug on his bottom lip with his teeth. 

 

“Why does he like me?”

 

“What?”

 

“Jinnie. Why does he like me? I don’t get it. Look, I’m not saying this to put myself down, really I’m not but he’s one of the most optimistic, brightest people I’ve ever met. He’s talented in so many things, mind bogglingly intelligent and it doesn’t help that his visuals are off of the charts too. So, why me? Why me when he could literally have anyone he wanted?” 

 

Not missing a beat, Felix crossed his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow at the Illusionist who looked up to meet his eyes. “Because he wants you? Because you’re just as bright, talented, intelligent and handsome as he is? Can you seriously not see that? What kind of friends am I burdened with? Seungminnie, it’s more than obvious that you two belong together, all of us can see that. He’ll tell you that himself when he comes back. I know that for a fact because I’ve heard it too many times from him already. Listen, I’ve got to go and meet Binnie. I assume you’re going to stay here for a little while longer?” 

 

Nodding his head, Seungmin placed his chin atop his hands as they rested on his propped up knee, taking in the breathtaking view that was presented to him as the sun fell closer and closer to the horizon. Feeling a dainty arm come around his shoulders, the Illusionist leaned into Felix as the other giggled and ruffled the boy’s hair before taking off to meet Changbin. 

 

It was a constant question that circled his mind as he kept thinking about how he was going to confess to Hyunjin about his feelings. Why him? Low self esteem due to his treatment in school and lack of friends overall only added to his doubt but Felix had reassured him that Hyunjin’s feelings were just as prevalent as his own and now all he had to do was wait to see the Alchemist again to tell him all about how he felt. 

  
The brightness of the sun fell and fell until just the tip peaked over the far off mountains. Seungmin began to think that perhaps they wouldn’t be arriving today, maybe it would be tomorrow instead but he was going to be there to greet them when they finally did decide to return. He had promised Woojin that he wouldn’t stay outside of the city walls after the sun finally set, knowing too well how much the eldest boy hated the idea of any of them being alone past the protection of the city walls in the darkness. Sighing at the thoughts of having to spend another night without Hyunjin beside him, the Illusionist jumped down off his seat and nodded towards the guard who began to open the gates for him. 

 

“Minnie!” 

 

Seungmin motioned to the guard to hold the door before spinning around to see three silhouettes walking towards him from the distance, one increasing their speed to meet him at a much quicker pace. It seemed that the time they had spent apart hadn’t changed Hyunjin in any way, perhaps only making his beautiful smile more breathtaking. Seungmin stood frozen as he awaited Hyunjin’s arrival, quietly giving himself a pep talk before the Alchemist reached him. 

 

“Ok, Seungmin, you can do this. Just tell him how you feel. Lix said that he likes you too so, this should be easy. ‘I love you’, that’s all you have to say to him. Three little words. Don’t be such a coward. It’s Jinnie, he cares about you, he won’t be cruel to you even if Lix was wrong and he doesn’t like you in that way. Come on, you can do this.” 

 

Taking a few steps forwards with a nervous grin, Seungmin extended his arms before Hyunjin ran into them, not leaving the Illusionist time to catch his breath before the boy’s grip around his chest became so constrictive that he couldn’t breathe. He wanted to keep savouring the Alchemist’s warmth, never again wanting to leave his embrace but the lack of oxygen reaching his lungs made him feel that he had to. 

 

“J-Jinnie, can’t-” Tapping his shoulder furiously, Seungmin couldn’t help but giggle as Hyunjin pulled away with apologies spilling from his mouth, holding onto the boy’s forearms as if checking that he was alright. 

 

_ ‘Ok, this is it. Do it, Seungmin. Open your mouth and just tell him how you feel about him.’ _

 

Inhaling deeply through his nose, he resisted the urge to take Hyunjin’s face between his fingers and just show the boy how he felt rather than telling him but the doubt that the Alchemist wouldn’t return his feelings kept popping up, so he thought it better to be vocal rather than physical about his emotions. Grabbing the other’s hands in his, Seungmin carefully swayed them, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground before he found the right words to accurately convey how he felt about the other. “J-Jinnie, I-”

 

In doing so, he never noticed Hyunjin leaning forwards towards him, letting go of his hands before raising his own to enclose the Illusionist’s neck on both sides, thumbs swiping across the tinted skin of his cheeks and bringing his lips to meet Seungmin’s, both sighing into the kiss that they had eagerly awaited for. Seungmin could feel Hyunjin’s smirk but didn’t realise why the other was smiling until he noticed he had grabbed onto the front of the Alchemist’s shirt, holding onto it as if the strength in his legs would disappear and cause him to crumble to the ground. The tenderness conveyed through their shared kiss made Seungmin gasp gently against Hyunjin’s lips, wanting this to last for a lifetime and beyond. Hyunjin wasn’t sure if it was the descending night air making him shiver or the boy who he currently had his arms wrapped around; either way, it only added to his feeling of euphoria. Taking a chance, he opened his eyes a fraction to gaze at Seungmin, the Illusionist's eyes screwed shut and simply savouring in the moment that he had created. Knowing they would have to move inside the city walls eventually, Hyunjin pulled away as Seungmin pouted at the loss of contact before he began to pepper small kisses all over the the other’s face, planting them wherever they could reach, making sure that it was obvious that he had always belonged to Seungmin and now, he always would. 

 

As he gazed at the stars in Seungmin’s eyes, Hyunjin noticed Jeongin and Chan walk past them through the gates from the corner of his eye, throwing them a raised eyebrow as they looked backwards. 

 

“We’ll give you two a moment. Come and join us at the inn when you’re ready. Seungminnie, so glad to see that you’re alright. I’ll give you your hug later on but after Hyunjinnie’s, it will probably pale in comparison,” Chan cackled, hooking his arm around Jeongin as he waved frantically at his friend who he had missed too much. 

 

Finally being left alone, both boys turned back to each other, the glow of the amber sun reflecting off of Seungmin’s glasses, allowing Hyunjin to bask in the radiance of the boy in front of him. 

 

“Hi.”

 

Chuckling at the simplistic greeting after their kiss, Seungmin laid his head on the Alchemist’s shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent that had evaded him for far too many days. 

 

“Hi, yourself. All this time, I was making myself sick with worry about how to confess to you when you got back but it seems like you beat me to it. Lix was telling me I had nothing to be nervous about since he was more than sure you felt the same but…”   
  


Laying his cheek on top of the Illusionist’s head, Hyunjin closed his eyes and simply let Seungmin’s voice wash over him. The silvery, singsong tone floating upon his ears and making him feel like he was home, in the arms of the one he loved. He could have stayed there for hours, listening to the boy talk to him about absolutely anything and he would have been more than content to stand there and absorb his words. 

 

“Lix can’t keep his mouth shut about anything. He was right though, you shouldn’t have been nervous about anything. Minnie, I love you and have for quite some time, maybe since before we entered the tournament together. Perhaps it was just a crush back then but I can say for certain that it’s not just a little crush anymore. I’m going to assume since you didn’t pull away from the kiss that you’re of the same mindset?”

 

“That would be a pretty accurate assumption. I love you too, Jinnie and I missed you so, so much. Spending over a week apart, it was far too long and how we were separated just added to how much I wanted to see you. We managed to survive again, huh? Ah, by the way, back in the warehouse, thank you for running back to me when Gyujin...when he tried to…” 

 

Hyunjin wrapped his arms around the boy a little tighter when he realised what he was referring to. Hearing Seungmin begin to lose control of his breathing, beginning to choke back in that filthy warehouse where they had faced down Gyujin, Hyunjin felt unparalleled fear flare through his body. How had Gyujin known about Seungmin’s fear? How had he been able to use it against him when he didn’t try to choke anyone else? Though he wanted to protect all of his friends, Seungmin’s silent plea reached his ears first, knowing that Hyunjin could be the one to help him through his ordeal. 

 

“Shh, shh, Minnie, you don’t have to thank me for that. I’ll always be here for you, to help you through absolutely anything. You won’t ever have to go through something like that again, I promise you. I won’t allow it. You’ll be safe as long as I’m with you.” 

 

“Ah, really? And here I was going to promise that I would never let anything harm you either,” Seungmin sighed, snuggling into Hyunjin’s chest just a little bit more before he realised that they should probably be heading back to the inn soon to greet the others. He couldn’t wait to see Chan and Jeongin again too and give them a proper greeting; he missed them just as much as he had Hyunjin. 

 

“Come on, Jinnie, let’s go and see the others. They can’t wait to see you, especially Lix. I know you’re going to want to tease him about Changbinnie hyung too. They’ve been so lovey dovey lately and-”

 

“Oh? Guess we’ll have to out do them, then. Can’t have anyone being more lovey dovey than we are!” Wrapping his arms around Seungmin’s neck as he walked behind, he placed little kisses behind the younger boy’s ear, knowing this kind of affection would make him blush and become embarrassed, something he found extremely cute in the younger. However, much to Hyunjin’s surprise, Seungmin quickly turned his head with a smile, placing a kiss on the elder’s jawline, not a hint of redness in his cheeks. 

 

“You’re right, we can’t let them win this war,” Seungmin joked, seeing Hyunjin become slightly alarmed at how much confidence Seungmin seemed to have gained after their confession. Nuzzling into his neck, Hyunjin left out huffs of laughter as they walked to the inn to meet the rest of their friends. They hadn’t ever wanted to be separated but perhaps it was just what they needed to finally get rid of the slight apprehension and finally spill their feelings. Now that he had Seungmin in his arms again, he didn’t ever plan on letting him leave. 

 

 

* * *

 

Upon entering the inn with Felix and Changbin, Woojin began to make his way up the stairs before he heard Minho and Jisung laughing maniacally, with another voice also falling in between the spaces of silence. He exchanged a glance with Changbin, realising that it was not the voice of a stranger but of a person that all of them held very dear. Sprinting past other people lodging in the inn on the stairs, Woojin was the first to reach the door of Minho and Jisung’s shared bedroom before swinging it open to reveal Jeongin being enveloped by both boys at the same time, Jisung planting a smooch on the Necromancer’s left cheek, the young boy unable to do anything but yell since his arms were being constricted by Minho’s strong embrace. Turning his head towards the sound of the door opening, Jeongin eyes lit up immediately upon seeing the other members return. 

 

“Woojinnie hyung! Help me! Jisungie hyung won’t stop kissing me! Argh! See? I’ve already had to endure listening to Channie hyung blubbering about how all of his children were safe when we came in here. I don’t need this too! Please, hyung!” 

 

The Bard couldn’t help but want to leave Jeongin within the grasp of the others, seeing how much he was being teased by them making his heart swell. Eventually giving into the Necromancer’s plea, Woojin unwound Minho’s arms from around him, placing his own around the youngest as he cuddled him up against his chest. 

 

“Innie, you are one intelligent kid. You used your wisps to find all of us. How did you even think about doing that? You’re the reason that we’re all here together again, that we all knew that the others were safe. That was all because of you and you will never understand how thankful I am for that.” 

 

“I know, hyung. Where would this little group of misfits be without me? You’d fall apart if I wasn’t here,” Jeongin hummed, truly enjoying the bear hug that Woojin was so proficient in giving. 

 

“Innie, where are Hyunjinnie and Channie?” 

 

“Hyunjinnie hyung is busy doing  _ stuff _ with Seungminnie hyung. We met him outside the gate. As for Channie hyung, you might want to go to the roof.”

 

“Huh? The roof?” 

 

“Just go, hyung.” 

 

Doing as instructed he left the others be, seeing Felix practically leap on top of Jeongin to smother him in hugs, knocking both of them to the ground before the others followed suit and leapt onto the dog pile, squishing the poor maknae beneath. 

 

Woojin’s feet shuffled up the stairs towards the door that led to the roof, being slightly ajar as someone had already gone through it. Pushing it open, he felt the welcoming breeze of the night air swoosh around him, tousling his hair a little as it fell over his eyes. Pushing it back, he noticed another sitting on the edge of the roof, dangling legs hitting off of the side of the building as he stared up at the abundance of stars that danced across the night sky. Seemingly too lost in his thoughts, Chan didn’t seem to hear or notice that Woojin had joined him and continued to hum to himself as he gazed into the darkness above. 

 

Woojin almost considered playing a prank on him, running up and scaring him but the sizable drop to the ground below made him shudder if Chan would jump too much and subsequently slip off the edge. Carefully walking up behind the Knight, Woojin softly called out his name to gather his attention as he laid his hands upon his strong shoulders. Lazily turning his head back, Chan showed the other the brightest smile he could form, one that would truly rival the brilliance of the little lights in the sky above them. 

 

“Seems like you got my message.”

 

“Is there a reason you’re being mysterious by making me meet you all the way up here, Channie?” 

 

“I just thought that we could use a bit of serenity to see each other for the first time after so long. Plus, if we showed affection towards each other in any way, the kids would start complaining so, why not meet up here? Kinda reminiscent of where we confessed to each other, right?” 

 

Glancing upwards, Woojin thought back to their time in Morthan, how they had sat under the stars before letting each other know about their deep rooted feelings for one another. Woojin moved forwards, swinging his legs over the ledge to join Chan and snuggle into his side. His wide smile instantly dropping, the Bard thought back to the last time he saw Chan and the terrifying fear that he felt upon seeing him being swallowed up, disappearing to some unknown destination, separating them from one another. Woojin felt calming fingers grasp at his waist as Chan’s cheek fell upon his head, an apologetic sigh leaving the other’s lips.

 

“I made you worry about me, huh?”

 

“Just a little. I was so damn scared that I’d lost you for good. I thought that this was it, that the game had finally done what it does best and taken you away from me but you came back.”

 

“As I always will, Woojinnie. I told you that you can’t get rid of me that easily. We’re in this together, you and me.” Guiding Woojin’s chin upwards as he grasped it between his fingertips, Chan lightly pecked the other’s lips, seeing his glossed over eyes crinkling shut with his smile. If the Knight was being honest with himself, it was like electricity sparked at his fingertips the moment he touched Woojin’s skin, making him feel a surge of energy that suddenly allowed him to feel rejuvenated as he moved closer to the other, deepening the kiss that didn’t last as long as he wanted when Woojin pulled away and smoothly placed his hand around Chan’s neck and threaded his fingers through his hair. 

 

“Shit, you don’t realise how much I missed you, Chan.”

 

“You think I didn’t miss you just as much? Felt like a piece of me had gone missing when I wasn’t with you. Also, if the kids hear you swearing like that they’ll never let you live it down since you give them such hassle about using such language.” Chan leaned his forehead against the elder’s, thankful that they had managed to come through such an ordeal together again. He felt like they could do anything once Woojin was with him, the thought of the boy even being enough to get him through hard times. 

 

“I assume we’re taking the kids to Balisa? I don’t think they’ll want to miss out on something like that. Plus-”

 

“Plus we need to talk to Wooyoung. He probably knows important information that we could use to get out of this place.” 

 

“Ah, great minds think alike. We’ll head there soon. We should let them rest, they’ve been through a hell of a lot. We should just spend time together for a little while, don’t you think?”

 

Nodding his head in agreement, Chan pulled Woojin closer, snaking his arm around his waist and laying his head on the other’s shoulder. After a while of watching people heading home in the street below, they began to think they should return to their rooms, to finally complete their group of nine that had been apart for far too long. Hand in hand, Woojin and Chan began to head back to their room, knowing that hugs and laughter would be plentiful in the night to come, most of them probably not planning on sleeping as they savoured in the time they were finally allowed to spend together again.


	37. After every storm comes a calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone. This message is being written to you from beyond the grave because that comeback that Stray Kids decided to drop pretty much killed me. I hope you all liked it too! Anyways, here we go again. Another week, another chapter. Some softness for everyone today.

“Channie hyung and Woojinnie hyung have been gone for a while. What do you think they’re even doing up there?”

 

“God, I don’t even want to think of the possibilities, Seungminnie. I absolutely guarantee that they’re-” Minho immediately cut himself off when he noticed a movement from the corner of his eye, seeing Woojin leaning against the doorframe, Chan hooking his chin over the Bard’s shoulder as they listened intently for the ending of Minho’s assumptions.

 

“Go on, Minho. What is it that you thought we were doing?”

 

“Listen, I got away with my life after fighting far too many psychopaths. I’m not going to lose it to the likes of you and Channie hyung because I couldn’t learn to control my mouth,” Minho stated, Jisung giggling uncontrollably as he laid against the Tracker’s chest.

 

All nine boys had finally gathered in the room, the warmth emanating from all of them filling the space and making them feel more at home than they had in so long. As the two eldest boys entered, they quickly joined the little circle that the others had formed on the ground, nothing but silence filling the distance between them. Loving smiles and relieved glances were traded between friends before a small voice cracked the quietness.

 

“So, am I the only one who came back to this room single?”

 

Laughter erupted throughout the room at Jeongin’s observation before Woojin pulled him into his side, ruffling the Necromancer’s hair as seven other boys stood and basked in the heightened mood of the moment, jumping over to Jeongin and wrapping their arms around each other, continuously laughing about the fact that they were all still here, all still alive, finally one as they should be.

 

* * *

 

“Out of nowhere, this enormous beast jumped in front of me and honestly, I thought it was there to join the Bafrers before they ate me but strangely, it defended me instead.”

 

Jeongin sat forward with bated breath, feeling like he was listening to the plotline of an action movie as Changbin getsured wildly to match the tone of his tale.

 

“The Bafrers looked too terrified to make a move towards me even though it was six against one. I didn’t know what to do but then I heard a voice I knew very well call out my name before a familiar, little fox bounced into my lap. I honestly didn’t think that’s how I would meet up with Lix again but I’m glad I did since I’m more than certain I wouldn’t still be here if Sawa hadn’t found me.”

 

Seungmin grinned as Changbin linked his arm with Felix’s, resting his chin on the Beast Master’s shoulder as if he was thanking him for coming to his aid again.

 

Shifting a little as he rested against the Illusionist’s side Hyunjin quirked an eyebrow as he listened to the story. “And what is Sawa exactly?”

 

“A Nokkedi. Easier to show you than explain.”

 

Barely having time to ask what he meant, the Alchemist jumped a little when the beast began to materialise beside him without the order falling from Felix’s lips. He had already explained about his newfound powers to the other boys, recalling everything that Jae had told him about himself and how he was unlike any other Beast Master that they had heard about. Summoning Sawa with a silent command, Felix began to smile as the monster immediately flopped down on Hyunjin’s lap, raising her head as if asking to be petted.

 

“Seems like she’s taken a liking to you, Jinnie.”

 

“How could she not with those kind of visuals?” Minho giggled, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Jisung who had fallen asleep against his chest.

 

Hyunjin eventually complied, running his fingers through the silken fur on the top of the beast’s head, earning him a grateful, rumbling growl from the depths of the Nokkedi’s chest.

 

“I suppose it’s not that shocking that Hyunjin is the person she warmed up to, seeing as it’s Lix controlling her,” Minho whispered, lowering his voice after Jisung mumbled incoherently in his sleep, shifting his position to lean his head against the Tracker’s shoulder.

 

Undivided attention immediately settling on the Thief, everyone seemed to let out a simultaneous sigh at the sight of their friend content and comfortable in Minho’s arms.

 

“We got him back. There was a part of me that thought I’d never see him again after Gyujin took him away. I’ve honestly never been so happy to have been wrong before. You’ve done well, Jisungie,” breathed Changbin, doing his best to stifle a yawn as he patted the Thief’s head.

 

“We got two of our friends back,” Jeongin hummed.

 

Minho directed his attention away from the sleeping boy and glanced upwards at the others, all of who harboured the same loving smile as they stared at the Tracker. Feeling a sense of warmth bloom in his chest, Minho was so incredibly thankful that he had found his way back to his family, those who had decided to give him another chance and who looked at him like he was their equal, an important piece that fit in with them to make them complete.

 

“Thank you for taking me back. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without you guys and I’m really sorry again for everything I put all of you through.”

 

“Uh oh, Minho hyung is getting sappy. Abort, abort! Everyone out or he could end up crying and trying to pull us into a hug!” Hyunjin yelled, immediately being shushed by the older members as the younger ones rolled around the floor at the Alchemist’s dramatics.  

 

“Alright, I didn’t think I’d ever say this but we should all follow Jisungie’s lead. Everyone to bed. We can tell the rest of our stories to each other and give more well deserved cuddles tomorrow. We’ll all decide what we’re going to do then. Come on, off with you.” Chan gently tapped Jeongin’s cheek, motioning for him to rise from the floor and lead Seungmin and Hyunjin to their shared bedroom.

 

The Necromancer had begged Chan to let him stay in a different room, claiming that he didn’t want to get in the middle of the recently reunited couple. However, Chan made the point that no matter where he stayed, he would be in the middle of something similar unless he had enough money to rent his own room for the night, which he didn’t and quickly conceded defeat before leading his hyungs to the room next door.

 

It took all of ten minutes for Jeongin to want to fling both Hyunjin and Seungmin out of the window with the amount kisses and cuddles happening right in front of him. Exclaiming quite loudly that he was going to find somewhere else to sleep, he left the room and waddled down the stairs in checkered pajama bottoms that were far too long for his legs, dragging a blanket behind him.

 

Entering into the front hall, Jeongin remembered that there was a seating area near the reception desk, one that held rather comfortable looking wine sofas which Jeongin would rather sleep on that put up with any more of what was happening upstairs. He threw the covers over himself, laying back on the cushions and he just hoped that Joomi wouldn’t mind him relaxing here for the night instead.

 

Sleep seemed to evade the boy as he reclined and tried to become comfortable. He thought that perhaps it was just the excitement of today, finally reuniting with all of his brothers and seeing that they were all in good spirits. Thoughts constantly swimming his mind, one in particular stood out and he began to wonder if it was too late in the night to attempt to send a wisp back to Yedam. He had promised the younger boy that he would send him one as soon as he got back to Haknal but in the hubbub of it all, he hadn’t quite found the time to do it. Glancing at the clock that read 11:54, Jeongin decided to take the chance and summoned his little wisp to his side. He wasn’t quite sure how long it would take for the little ghost to reach Yedam but the boy had mentioned that they would be able to converse in real time when it did arrive, letting Jeongin know that he wouldn’t have to wait to receive a reply. With a nod of his head, the wisp floated upwards and out the window that Jeongin had opened for it.

 

As the clock edged closer to 2am, Jeongin began to feel increasingly somnolent. Head dipping every so often before immediately snapping upwards, Jeongin realised he didn’t feel the pressure in his chest the way he usually did after sending out a wisp. He surmised that it was probably because he was now sharing the burden with Yedam, as the younger boy said the weight would now be divided between both of them when sending wisps to one another. Just as he was about to give up and let his eyes finally close for the night, Jeongin felt disembodied whispers floating around his ears, immediately knowing that they belonged to his wisps. Bolting upwards as he caught his blankets before they fell to the floor, another of his wisps popped up to act as a link between the two boys. Glowing amber, the wisp wiggled a little in Jeongin’s hand before a familiar and sleepy voice seeped through the flames.

 

_“You better have a damn good reason for waking me up like this…”_

 

Lighting up with a smile in the darkened room, Jeongin snicked as he heard Yedam yawn loudly on the other side. “Aww, kiddo, were you asleep? Did I disturb your rest?”

 

_“Yah, did you just call me a kid? You’re acting awfully high and mighty since you’re not right beside me and I could kick your ass.”_

 

“Is Yedamie getting angry at me? I thought you would be happy to hear my voice.”

 

_“Not when it’s freaking two in the morning, jackass.”_

 

Laughter erupting from his chest, Jeongin had to remind himself that he was a guest in a fully occupied inn and that he most definitely had to keep his noise level down. Snuggling beneath the blankets once again, Jeongin let the wisp rest on his chest as he continued his conversation with the other Necromancer.

 

_“So, did you meet back up with all of your friends? Are they all safe?”_

 

“Everyone is happy and healthy...and making me ill because they won’t stop making out in front of me. I don’t need to see stuff like that! I’m too young. It’s desecrating my innocent soul!”

 

_“Wait, am I speaking to Jeongin? Because I know for sure that the guy I met didn’t have one pure cell in his body.”_

 

Holding his tongue as he was insanely tempted to bite back with a loud yell, Jeongin calmed his breathing and let his fingers dance across his chest beside his wisp.

 

“Hmm, maybe you’re right. So, Yedamie, how has life been since we left? Missing us a lot?”

 

A slight pause and nothing but static filling the silence, Jeongin began to wonder if he had said something wrong, if he had upset the other boy, if not everything was alright as he had hoped it would have been.

 

“Yedam-”

 

_“You know, the strangest thing happened after you guys left. I was walking back to the inn and I was stopped by a woman who owned the market in the middle of town. She spoke to me. That may not seem weird but she never talked to me before. In fact, she was someone who avoided me at all costs. However, in the time that you’ve been gone, she’s spoken to me everyday, given me groceries for free to take home; she’s actually visited my inn a couple of times to see if I was eating properly.”_

 

Tilting his head as he laid on the pillow, Jeongin couldn’t help but grin with fondness at the confusion in the boy’s voice. It seemed that Yedam still thought of the resident’s former opinions about him as the truth, not seeing his own worth.

 

 _“The strangeness didn’t end there though. Other people around town started attempting to talk to me too when I went shopping. The elderly man who owns the flower store, the lady who runs the little coffee shop on the corner, the couple who recently bought the local bookshop; all of them have greeted me everyday this week and I’m not quite sure why. All of this happened after the first lady started speaking to me when you guys left.”_   


Rubbing his eyes to try and erase the sleep beginning to build up, Jeongin exhaled contentedly as he heard about the rather positive turn of events that had occurred since he had left the younger Necromancer. Being slightly worried about the other’s solitary living situation, Jeongin was more than a little pleased that something had coincidentally changed since he had stayed in Yedam’s inn.

 

“Yedamie, that’s great. Seems like I don’t need to worry about you being alone anymore.”

 

Humming with an unsure tone, Yedam seemed to be toying with a couple of possible reasons that he was not confined to a companionless life anymore.

 

_“Did you guys have something to do with that?”_

 

“Huh? I didn’t even go into town, so how could I have had something to do with it?”

 

_“You didn’t but Chan hyung and Hyunjin hyung did. It just seems like far too much of a coincidence that everything changed just after you left.”_

 

“How about you stop questioning the reason and just accept that people are finally seeing you for who you are?”

 

_“Because I’m not fucking stupid.”_

 

Gasping in mock outrage, knowing this is how Woojin usually sounded when the others would use such crass language, Jeongin went on to playfully scold the other, trying his best not to crack in his authoritative tone. “Bang Yedam, you watch your goddamn mouth.”

 

Talking for close to an hour, Jeongin informed Yedam about all that had happened since he left the safety of Kalmm and travelled back the long road to meet up with his friends. Jeongin knew that he would eventually have to get some rest, thinking about the day he would get to spend with the rest of his members that would more than likely start in a few hours with Jisung bouncing out of bed, always being the first to wake and drag the others from their slumber.

 

“Yedamie, I think I have to go now. I’ll send you another wisp soon or you can send me one when you want to talk.”

 

_“Alright, Jeongin. Say hi to Chan hyung and Hyunjin hyung for me. I’m glad that all of your friends are alright. Hope you have fun in Balisa.”_

 

“Oh, we’ll talk before then, don’t worry. Try and get out of your bubble and talk to people around the town. It may be weird now but you’ll get used to it soon. Make some friends. Don’t be such a hermit. Remember what I said, you gotta get out there and make things happen for yourself.”

 

Hearing a little huff on the other side, Jeongin could feel the smart remark coming before anything was said.

 

_“Alright, mom. I won’t let my life go to waste. I’ll do my best, just for you.”_

 

“My god, go to bed, Yedam. The lack of sleep is making you delirious.”

 

_“You say that like you weren’t the one who woke me up, asshole. Goodnight, Jeongin. Talk to you soon.”_

 

“Night, Yedamie. Sleep well.”

 

Exhaling deeply, Jeongin bid the boy goodnight before reciting the chant to send his little wisp on his way, feeling the one he sent to Yedam also return to the other side. Yedam had been right, it didn’t take up as much of his energy as he thought that it would. He felt a little bad about making the younger boy share his burden but knew that he would return the favour when Yedam decided to send one to him when he wanted to chat. However, he wasn’t immune to the little spirits sapping some of his strength and he began to feel more and more sleepy by the second. Deflating into the sofa, Jeongin let his eyes flutter shut with a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips, more than satisfied to know that Yedam wouldn’t be spending all of his time alone anymore.

 

 

* * *

 

Waking up to someone furiously shaking your shoulders was an interesting feeling, one that Hyunjin had never experienced before. Groaning and attempting to whack the urgent hands on his shoulders away, Hyunjin shifted to his side and pulled the duvet over his head to escape whoever it was trying to disturb his well deserved rest. Having spoken with Seungmin about all their adventures since they had parted, it was close to three in the morning by the time the two of them had decided to finally call it a night, arms securely wrapped around each other, legs intertwined as the Alchemist allowed the other to curl up and nestle into his chest.

 

“Jinnie? Jinnie, please, wake up.”

 

Hearing Seungmin’s pleading whispers, Hyunjin’s eyes immediately snapped open, turning to face the Illusionist so quickly that dizziness engulfed his head and he became disorientated.

 

“Minnie, what’s the matter?”

 

“I-I can’t find Jeongin. He said he was going to sleep somewhere else but I’ve checked all of the other’s rooms and he’s not there. He said he didn’t have any money to rent his own room and he’s not downstairs. It’s only seven in the morning, where the hell could he be?”

 

Seeing the obvious panic beginning to flare in the other’s eyes, Hyunjin quickly pulled Seungmin forward, shushing him and rubbing his thumbs across his shaking hands.

  
“Minnie, relax. I’m sure he’s alright. Come on, we’ll go and look for him together. No need to fret over him, you should realise that Innie can take care of himself.”

 

Hyunjin grabbed the other boy’s hand, leading him into the hallway and down the stairs to look for their missing member. One could think that Seungmin was overreacting, that Jeongin was more than likely fine but having being separated for so long, having nearly lost each other already, Hyunjin didn’t think it was too much of an exaggeration when Seungmin began vehemently pulling him down the stairs in their pajamas.

 

When they entered the foyer, both boys noticed that the area was empty; Joomi was not behind the front desk like she normally was. They began to search around the place, ducking into the dining room where breakfast would be available in half an hour, knocking on the kitchen door but not receiving an answer, flowing into the waiting area where nobody was taking advantage of the lush seats they could be placed upon.

 

“He’s not here, why isn’t he here? Why the hell would he venture out this early in the morning? It’s still dark outside. He wouldn’t have, right?” Nibbling on his thumb in obvious concern, Seungmin felt arms go around his shoulders, pulling him close to Hyunjin’s chest as the Alchemist tried to spill even more reassurances.

 

Not getting the chance to worry any further over the boy’s whereabouts, the front door gently creaked open to reveal Joomi carrying three paper bags full of food, with Jeongin quickly following like a lost puppy behind her, hands full with produce that belonged to the older woman.

 

Seeing his hyungs embrace each other as he walked through the door, Jeongin let out an incredulous sigh, grimacing once again at what he had tried to escape last night. “Man, could you guys seriously give it a rest? You don’t have to be hanging out of each other every damn minute of the day!”

 

Seungmin immediately made a move to leap forwards and attack the youngest, moreso for making him anxious about his safety rather than the slight insult he had just received about how clingy he was. Feeling a hand snake around his waist to keep him in place, Seungmin felt Hyunjin place his chin over his shoulder, a little grin forming on his face, more than likely due to the fact that he had been right about not needing to agonise over the absence of the youngest member.

 

“Innie, just because you’re forever alone, don’t try and ruin our fierce and impassioned romance,” Hyunjin chirped, swinging side to side with Seungmin still in his arms, making Joomi giggle at the sight of the soulmates holding onto each other like their lives depended on it.

 

“I think I liked it better when you were awkward messes who were too dense to confess to each other,” sighed Jeongin, following Joomi to the kitchen to dispense of the groceries he had helped her carry from the market. Coming back to see Hyunjin and Seungmin still holding onto each other, with the Illusionist sporting a rather unimpressed look, the Necromancer began to wonder why he was getting a death glare from his friend.

 

Detaching Hyunjin’s arms from around his waist, Seungmin dragged his feet forward across the hardwood floors, stopping a few inches away from the youngest boy’s face. Raising his fist, the Illusionist let it drop straight down on top of Jeongin’s head, winning him annoyance and displeasure from the boy’s mouth.

 

“Hyung! Come on, it was just a joke! No need to quite literally beat me over the head for it.”

 

“What did I tell you back in Aquiria? Hmm? If you’re going somewhere…?”

 

Jeongin wrinkled his nose at the pain raining down from the top of his head, trying to figure out what it was that Seungmin wanted him to say. He thought back to the time he had spent with the other boy in Aquiria, shuffling through the moments shared in Siwan’s home, moving forwards to their rescue before coming to a halt on the day he had spent in the inn with the other boys before they left the seaside city.

 

“Ah, you told me if I was going somewhere to tell you. Wait, why? Were you worried about me again, hyung? Oh, come on, I was gone for like twenty minutes tops. I was with Joomi-ssi. She saw me sleeping on the couch and woke me up to let me know that she would be opening the inn for breakfast soon but that I would have time to get up and head back upstairs since she was going grocery shopping. I asked if I could go with her to help as a sort of thank you for all that she’s done for us. I thought you guys would still be asleep, so I didn’t say anything.”  


Jeongin knew the reason that Seungmin was acting like a mom, unnecessarily fretting over his absence, so he felt the need to show the red headed boy that he was thankful for his concern but it was needed at this level all of the time. Patting the elder’s head, Jeongin’s lips curled upwards as he saw Seungmin’s pent up frustration diminish slightly when he realised the other was safe.

 

“Hyunjinnie hyung, learn to control your man a little more, please.”

 

Running to help Joomi out in the kitchen, Jeongin cackled witlessly as he heard Hyunjin trying to calm the boy in his grasp down.

 

“Yang Jeongin, get your ass back here!”  


Feeling that he was safe from Seungmin's murderous intentions, Jeongin began to unpack the overflowing bags of food and set them where Joomi directed him to do so. Placing the milk and butter in the door of the fridge, he halted when he felt a pair of eyes on his back, turning around to see Joomi gazing questioningly at him.

 

“Joomi-ssi, is everything alright?”

 

“I was just curious. It seems that all of your friends have found their soulmate in their romantic partners as all of their tattoos are meshed together with red and white. You, however, do not yet hold a red tattoo, just a white one, meaning you’ve found your soulmate but you have not developed a romantic relationship with them. Not that it’s uncommon, a lot of soulmates are just friends but you’re the only one in your group in that position. It’s just rather interesting, that’s all.”

 

Seeing the inquisitive look in the young boy’s eyes, Joomi began to realise that the only ones in their little group who knew about her class were Jisung, Changbin, Woojin and Minho. Every time Jisung came back to the inn with a new friend, they always had a long conversation, introducing themselves and revealing their classes. However, the newest recruits to the team had only stayed in her inn one night previously and she never got the chance to reveal her class and therefore, she began to understand why Jeongin looked so puzzled by her observations. She quickly explained her Fate class and what it was that it allowed her to do.

 

“Well, isn’t is possible that one of my friends is my soulmate? You said that soulmates don’t have to be lovers, they just have to be people who complete the other.”

 

“That would be possible but everyone in this game only has one soulmate. All of your friends have found their soulmate in their partner as the couples all have matching tattoos. Usually, the design has something to do with the bond you share. ”

 

Jeongin assumed he knew who all of the couples that Joomi mentioned were, pairing them together inside of his mind and wondering who his soulmate was if not any of his friends.

 

“Between Chan and Woojin, it is a string of musical notes running down their spine, each alternating one glowing white in contrast to the maroon of the others. I’m guessing that’s something that they both love? Something deeply rooted in both of their souls?”

 

The Necromancer couldn’t disagree with that. He knew that both of his hyungs loved music more than anything else, except for maybe each other. Woojin adored singing while Chan was a genius when producing. They constantly spoke of it in their downtime, discussing every aspect of it they could think of. Nodding his head, Jeongin urged Joomi to continue.

 

“Binnie and Felix hold a small heart in the palm of their hands, the center being red and the outline shining around. It tells me that they both are extremely caring people, ready to lend a hand to those who need it, whenever they need it. Two cherished souls brought together by coincidence and joined by fate.”

 

That made a lot of sense too. Jeongin always thought of Changbin and Felix as being a perfect couple, despite being polar opposites in so many aspects. Their giving and kind spirits was what inevitably drew them closer together.  

 

“Hyunjin and Seungmin show teardrops falling from their eyes, Hyunjin’s on the left side, Seungmin’s on the right. This shows me that through suffering they found their link but that they also found the reason to keep going through each other too.”

 

Thinking back to Seungmin and Hyunjin’s first encounter, a silent meeting that nobody but them had actually experienced, he knew that their relationship was established on hardship but had ended more than perfectly in the end.

 

“Minho and Jisung hold a bright crimson sun over their hearts encased in a white ribbon. While this can have many meanings, I believe that in this case, they are both the light in each other’s darkness, holding onto each other like a lifeline and from what I’ve seen, it seems to be a pretty accurate assumption.”

 

The most tragic of couples in Jeongin’s opinion with regards to their past relationship but if anything, the harshness that they had endured just seemed to bring them closer in the end.

 

“None of their tattoos match up to yours and the design is...rather unique for a soulmate one. It comes in the shape of a skull, something that I’ve never seen before. Why do you think that is? Do you have any idea who it could be? You have already met them since tattoos joining your fate doesn’t show up until you have come face to face with one another.”

 

Jeongin knew exactly who his soulmate was and he was rather shocked to hear about the boy who he had only spent a couple of days with was his other half. He had instantly felt a connection to Yedam but thought it was simply their shared class and compatible personalities that caused that feeling to surge.

 

“Yeah, I do and I’m pretty sure the skull signifies something that we both suffered in the past. He’s just a friend though. Like you said, there’s no red tattoo to signify something...more, right?”

 

“Oh, Jeongin, sweetie, do you think fate is a set idea? Many people seem to view fate in that regard, something that is predetermined, something that cannot be changed but this is not true at all. Sometimes, it is out of our control but more often than not, we decide our own fate. Just because there isn’t a red tattoo there yet doesn’t mean that there couldn’t be in the future. Tattoos can also disappear if circumstances change.”

 

“Ah, I see.” Jeongin quickly shook his head, assuring himself that he knew that Yedam was just a friend. He didn’t see him as anything more. He was fairly sure that was the case.

 

“Jeongin, I can handle the rest. Thank you for all of your help. I’m sure the rest of the boys will be up soon. Go and join them.”

 

Flashing a bright smile, Jeongin bowed deeply with a farewell and ran out the door to bolt up the stairs to gather his members to begin the day by eating breakfast. He couldn’t wait to share a meal with all of his friends again after so long.

 

* * *

 

“I’m gonna go into town and see if I can get my Katana fixed up. There are quite a few nicks in it after everything we’ve been through recently. Jisung, you said there was a guy in town that could probably fix it, right?”

 

“Mm-hmm. He owns a weapons emporium a little bit away from here. I’ll go with you.”

 

Raising his eyebrows towards the Thief sitting on the bed twiddling his fingers, he couldn’t understand why the boy seemed to be so down, especially after finally reuniting with all of their friends. Chan, Woojin and Jeongin had been the first to finish breakfast, saying that they would go into town and see if they could find a decent place to eat dinner tonight. They had all agreed to save the rest of their tales of excitement for when they were all more aware and awake, thinking that the evening meal would be the perfect opportunity. Seungmin, Hyunjin, Felix and Changbin had decided to go outside of the town to try and find some monsters to fight to try and earn a few more coins. Jeongin made a very relevant point that if they were to go to Balisa to Wooyoung’s ball, they could not arrive in hoodies and jeans and would more than likely need to buy formal attire in the city before proceeding to the man’s house for the celebration. Therefore, the four boys made their way to the grasslands outside of town, gaining a warning from Woojin to watch out for each other and a promise from Chan that they would join them in an hour or two so they shouldn’t stray too far from the gates.

 

“Jisung, sunshine, why do you look so upset? Is something wrong?”

 

“Not particularly.”

 

“You can stay here and rest if you want, you don’t have to follow me around all day. You don’t have any business at the emporium, do you?”

 

“You make it sound like I can’t be without you for an hour. I actually do have some business there so, if your gigantic ego doesn’t mind, I’ll go with you,” Jisung quipped.

 

“”What do you need to do there?” 

 

Seeing the Thief’s face fall again, Minho surmised that whatever Jisung needed to do at the weapon’s emporium had something to do with why he was so dismal.

 

“Need to get new weapons,” mumbled the boy now scratching the back of his neck. “Gyujin took my Daggers from me and I never got them back before we fell through the portal.”

 

Ah, that’s why he was so upset. Minho had always thought that the Thief’s weapons suited him very well, holding the right balance and weight for them to be useful for someone like Jisung and the abilities that his class allowed him to accomplish. In the pandemonium of the last week, it wasn’t a point that had come across Minho’s mind, Jisung losing his weapons because, of course, Gyujin wouldn’t have been stupid enough to let the Thief keep them in his captive state. Too bad for him that Soyeon didn’t seem to hold the cautiousness about Jisung’s capabilities.

 

“Alright, Jisung, we’ll make sure to get you some proper weapons to defend yourself. We should have enough since Changbinnie gave you the remainder of the cash he got from monster hunting, right?”

 

“Yeah, about a thousand gold coins.”

 

“That should be plenty to get you a decent set of Daggers. Come on, let’s head out then.”  

 

Walking down the dusty main street, Jisung breathed in the familiar air that made his sour mood lift instantly. He waved to the woman in the local outfitters, the lady being one of Joomi’s friends who had often visited the inn to chat. Hearing his name being called out by the elderly couple who ran the potion store, he bowed deeply and greeted them with a smile.

 

Minho couldn’t help but snicker at Jisung and how sociable he was with the residents of the small town. This was the first place that Jisung had felt safe within Phantasm and knowing the type of person that Joomi was, he was sure she had boasted about Jisung and how much of a lovely soul he was. Everyone immediately hurried to greet him when they saw him, gaining giggles and smiles from the Thief.

 

Finally arriving at Chul Moo’s weapons emporium, Jisung bounced through the door, apparently excited about finally finding new weapons to use to defend himself.

 

“Jisung, been a while since I’ve seen you! Don’t think I’ve come across you since you bought your Daggers here. Hmm, that must be nearly six months ago at this stage but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had to endure Joomi constantly speaking about you all of the time. Well, of course I watched the tournament. Shame how that ended but at least you get to properly celebrate in Balisa now, huh? Oh, you’ve brought a friend? What can I do for you boys?”

 

Minho tilted his head, recognising the green ring around the man’s wrist before shooting him a respectful smile all the same. “I’m not sure if you can but I managed to damage my Katana in some recent fights and I was wondering if you would be able to fix it up by tomorrow? I know it’s asking a lot but-”

 

“Come on, let me see the damage first before I promise anything.”

 

Detaching the sword from his back, Minho gingerly pulled it out of the leather casing before gripping the golden hilt and passing it to Chul Moo. The man inspected it carefully, eyes running up and down the blade before leaving out a rather weighted sigh.

 

“You know, coming to me at this late stage is a little inconsiderate. I have plenty of people looking for me to fix their weapons before you, boy. You’re asking me to repair this for you before all of them?”

 

The Tracker’s gaze fluttered between Jisung and the rather peeved looking man, panic beginning to rise up from the back of his throat at Chul Moo’s cold stare. As his mouth attempted to form words, barely any sound coming out, Minho didn’t want the man to be pissed at him for something like this, especially since he seemed so friendly with Jisung. He knew it was a lot to ask but the Thief said that he could more than likely do it, which is the only reason he had asked in such a positive tone.

 

Noticing the boy beginning to flounder, Chul Moo let out a hearty laugh, placing his hand over his stomach, trying to catch his breath. “I’m just messing with you kid. Wow, easy to scare, aren’t you? It would usually take me a couple of days but since you’re Jisung’s friend, I’ll have it done for you by this time tomorrow.”

 

Letting out an incredulous sigh of relief, Minho gently slapped Jisung who was giggling at the Tracker’s anxious state. Chul Moo carefully placed the boy’s sword aside, making it available to him when he was ready to work on it later on.

 

“And Jisung. Are you here to save your friend from the likes of me or can I help you with something too?”

 

“I need new weapons.”

 

“Huh? What happened to the Daggers you bought here last time? If they were broken, you should have brought them back, I could have fixed them. Oh, please don’t tell me you threw them away.”

 

Awkwardly pulling at his collar, Jisung wasn’t quite sure how to explain the reason for his weapons suddenly vanishing without going into some very questionable and uncomfortable details. Running through his mind to try and find an acceptable answer for the man, Jisung’s thoughts suddenly became blank, his head not producing anything worthwhile.

 

“Actually, that was kind of my fault. I was ambushed and Jisung came to help me but in doing so, someone attacked him and stole his weapons. It’s how my sword got so damaged too. It wasn’t his fault and he certainly wouldn’t give away something that he held so dear. I’m sorry some of your precious work got taken because of me.”

 

Jisung gawked at Minho’s ability to come up with a lie so quickly, managing to throw in a rather sneaky compliment for the blacksmith while he was at it. The Thief thought it really shouldn’t surprise him at this stage, Minho being able to mislead someone like that; it was something that he had apparently always excelled in but Jisung was rather glad for the skill in this instance.

 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m just glad you boys are safe if that was the case. Come over here, Jisung. I think I have the perfect thing for you. These were another set I was planning on recommending to you before you chose your first ones.”

 

Picking up a set of glimmering Daggers, Jisung marvelled in the way the light hit the blades, making the colours dance along the ridges. Handles encased in black leather, golden leaves indented themselves into the sides as they danced all the way down to the end.

 

“Rainbow titanium. Strong metal to be sure and I think the design and shade probably suit your personality down to a tee. What do you think?”

 

Chul Moo barely had time to release the blades before they were in the Thief’s hands, Jisung twirling them around in his fingers to feel the weight distribution and balance.

 

“Oof, these are probably better than the ones I already had. You’ve been holding out on me, old man.”

 

“And to think I was going to give the two of you discounts for being such lovely kids. Forget it, you’ve ruined your chances, Jisung.”

 

Spilling a thousand apologies towards the blacksmith, Jisung hung out of his arm until he eventually caved and asked them for 800 gold coins for the Jisung’s weapons and Minho’s repairs. He told them to return tomorrow to pick up Minho’s Katana, promising it would be as good as new by the time they got back. Hopping out of the store with a smile on his face, Jisung securely fastened the newly found Daggers to his belt.

 

“Nice find, Jisung. He was right, they do suit you.”

 

“Huh, guess something good came out of all this. Got myself kick ass new weapons.”

 

Pulling Minho along by the arm, Jisung decided to peruse the rest of the town with the Tracker, showing him his favourite places around the area with which he was so familiar. Changbin had warned the boy that he was not to join them for monster hunting, saying that he wasn’t ready for it yet but Jisung was pretty sure he was just being overdramatic and protective again but he wasn’t going to argue with the Medic. It never ended well for him.

 

* * *

 

After their empty stomachs had been filled, all of the boys sank back into the chairs, patting their chests as they let out content sighs. The evening had been filled with laughter and absurdity, tales of manic happenings and new friendships made their way to the forefront of the evening. Listening intently to the stories that were told, all boys were just so unbelievably grateful that they were in each other’s presence once again.

 

“So, the final item on the agenda tonight. We’re going to leave Haknal tomorrow. Everyone is ok with that, right?” Chan received eight nods of approval before moving onto the next topic for discussion.

 

“When we do leave, I assume all of you want to head to Balisa. While I’m more than happy to let ourselves enjoy the ball that has been set up by Wooyoung, I think we need to speak with this guy too. We’ve all been told that he was close with the Park family and if that’s true, then he could know why all of us are in this place. We need to find a way to speak to him but we can figure out how we’re going to do that as we travel there. For tonight, let’s just enjoy the company and ourselves. We’re not worrying about anything in this moment. Everyone is here again and we’re not going to let go. May this moment last for a long time. Cheers!”

 

Raising his glass above his head, Chan noticed eight others coming to join his, the clinking of the glasses resonating throughout the bar as they met. The smiles radiating off the others made his heart sing, his hand entwined with Woojin’s beneath the table. They were one again, as they should always be. Jisung quietly played with Minho’s fingers as the Tracker gazed at the distracted boy lovingly. Changbin dotted his finger around Felix’s face, presumably trying to count the numerous stars that danced across his cheeks, cursing himself each time he lost count, with Felix giggling every time he had to start over. Seungmin and Hyunjin looked like they were having a staring match, simply looking into each other’s eyes with a grin, obviously trying to evoke a reaction from Jeongin as he sat nestled in between them, unable to escape their evil clutches and their need to make him suffer. This was it, this was perfection to Chan. All of his boys here beside him, where they needed to be. This was solace, this was peace, this was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was not supposed to get this attached to writing about soft Jeongdam but c'est la vie!


	38. Sometimes people surprise us. People we believe we know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! We just have another couple of chapters until the ball but there are just a couple more things to cover. Anyways, hope you enjoy this weeks chapter. Let's go!

“Minho hyung?” 

 

The Tracker glanced back at Seungmin, the red headed boy moving swiftly to his side. It had been a rather lengthy journey as they made their way to Balisa, walking for almost five days before they neared the gates to the shimmering city where Wooyoung was to hold his ball for those who participated in the tournament that had gone so wrong all those weeks ago. 

 

“What’s up, Seungminnie?”

 

  
Fumbling with the item in his hand, Seungmin gingerly held it out towards Minho as they continued walking, the Tracker looking down at it with a confused stare before realising what was being presented to him. 

 

“I completely forgot about returning this to you after we all got back together. I probably kept it longer than I should have. Sorry, I just got really used to wearing it.” 

 

Playing with the threads of the charcoal scarf he had loaned to Seungmin when he had needed it the most, Minho couldn’t help but glance at the Illusionist’s neck; all evidence that he had gone through something so fear inducing was nowhere to be seen. Minho tugged at his lip, a thought falling from the back of his head to the forefront of his mind. 

 

“You kept it all this time. I honestly thought that you would have gotten rid of it after I left.”

 

“Well, it was an idea that was advised by someone but I wanted to keep it. It made me feel safe, not as obvious as I thought I was when walking around with those bruises on my neck. Thank you for loaning it to me, hyung. I’m just glad that I finally got to return it to you,” Seungmin beamed, releasing the scarf into Minho’s hands and maintaining a steady pace walking beside him. 

 

“It made you feel...safe? A scarf? How come?” Brows furrowing from the combination of confusion and blinding sunlight, Minho searched the other’s face for the reasoning behind his strange thoughts. 

 

“It just...always reminded me of you, hyung. Even when everything seemed like it wasn’t going to work out, that you mightn’t come back to us after you left, that when we got separated and didn’t know if the others were safe or not, it comforted me. It made me think that all of you would find a way back to me, that we would always be here for each other. It made me feel protected. Sorry, that sounds really stupid, I realise it’s just a scarf. It probably doesn’t even make sense, right?” 

 

Grabbing Seungmin back by his forearm, Minho began to slowly twirl the scarf back around his neck before patting it down and placing his arm around the Illusionist to keep them walking behind the rest of the boys lost in conversation. 

 

“It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else but you, Seungminnie. We all have things that comfort us and if this is something that makes you feel secure, then keep it.”

 

Seungmin could say for certain that Minho had never been this genuinely relaxed and cheerful since he had met the older boy. While he had known nothing about Minho’s ulterior motives in the beginning, there were times when he would notice a downcast expression on the other’s face, a pensive frown contorting his features when he thought nobody was looking, the sorrow on the edge of his lips when he glanced at Jisung from the corner of his eye. However, the Tracker walking beside him held the largest, most authentic smile he had seen fall upon Minho’s face since the elder had joined their group. 

 

“Thanks, hyung. I’ll make sure to keep it safe. And you? Are you feeling alright now?” 

 

“Better than I ever have before, Seungminnie.” 

 

Further ahead of the group, Changbin couldn’t help but stare at Felix as they walked side by side. Now, he wasn’t going to say that this wasn’t a common occurrence, he looked at Felix as often as he could but the reason was vastly different from his usual one. The pensive look on the Beast Master’s face as the boy held his chin between his fingers made Changbin wonder what the hell was going on inside his head since Felix no longer seemed to be listening to a word he said. 

 

“Lix, you still with me?” 

 

Nothing. Changbin resisted the urge to snap his fingers in front of the other’s eyes, not wanting to break the unparallelled concentration for whatever he was thinking about. However, poking his freckled cheek was an action he would never be able to prevent himself from completing. Turning to look at the Medic with a finger still prodding his face, Felix finally came back to the present. 

 

“What’s wrong?” 

 

“Other than the fact that you’ve been so lost in thought that you haven’t been listening to a single thing I’ve been saying?” 

 

“Oh, sorry.”  

 

Hearing the drab and unamused tone fall from the younger boy’s mouth, Changbin retracted his finger, swiping a stray leaf that had fallen upon Felix’s shoulder as they walked. The bright, bubbly person he loved seemed to have morphed into the complete opposite of who he usually was and if Changbin was being honest, it worried him a little. 

 

“Lix, is something the matter?” 

 

“No. I’m gonna walk with Channie hyung for a while.” 

 

Changbin wasn’t sure if it was the weather but since the sun was beaming down upon them, he was almost sure that it wasn’t the cause of the chill that just swept around his ears. His mind began to go a mile a minute as it thought of the reason that Felix had spoken to him with such a lackadaisical tone. Had he done something to cause it? Nothing had happened between them recently. In fact, Changbin felt closer to Felix than he ever had before but the boy ahead of him now walking side by side with Chan seemed to be keeping something from him and he really didn’t appreciate it. 

 

Feeling Felix fall beside him, Chan glanced at the dazzling smile adorning the Beast Master’s face. “Lee Felix, you’re up to something, I can feel it. What are you smiling about?” 

 

“Hyung, I need you to help me with something but you cannot let Binnie know about it, alright?”

 

“I’m not sure I want to get in the middle of something between the two of you.” Looking back at Changbin, Chan couldn’t help but see the slightly unnerved and distressed face of the Medic as he peered back at him. “Especially when Changbinnie seems to be upset.” 

 

“Oh, you’ll want to help me with this, hyung. You need to get the others in on it too. Trust me on this. Please?” The playful glint in Felix’s eyes forced Chan to let out a rather exasperated sigh as he bent down a little as Felix whispered his devious plans in his ear. Hearing the information being uttered to him in a soft voice as Felix’s breath tickled his ear, Chan’s eyes began to widen before his neck snapped sideways to gawk at the young Beast Master. Ok, maybe Felix was right, Chan really did want to help him but it was going to take a bit of secrecy to pull off the underhanded idea that had bubbled up inside of the other’s mind.  

 

“Oh, wow. You’re actually pure evil. I can see why you get along with Jisung so well now.” 

 

“I’m gonna take that as a huge compliment, Channie hyung. So, are you in?” 

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m in. I’ll try to let the others know but I don’t think Changbin is going to take his eyes off of you since you’re giving him the cold shoulder. Are you sure you want to go about it this way?” 

 

Peeking back at the Medic, Felix’s heart dropped when he saw the boy he loved look so dejected, kicking the gravel beneath his feet in obvious annoyance but since he had already started his plans out this way, Felix was going to continue his mission until it was complete. 

 

“I’m sure, hyung. When we arrive in Balisa, I’ll take him around town and since he’ll be distracted with me, that should give you time to let the others know and put my plan into action, ok?” 

 

Chan honestly didn’t know what to do with this devil in disguise. He couldn’t say that he hadn’t been fooled by Felix too; everyone saw him as an angel who could do no wrong. After hearing the younger boy’s plan, Chan was going to make sure to keep an eye on all of Felix’s doings from now on. Though, he knew that his secrecy was for the good of Changbin, so, he was going to keep quiet and follow through with what he needed to do.

 

“Ok, Lix. You can count on me.” 

 

“Great! Now, I gotta try and keep a stern expression. Can’t have him catching on too quickly. You give everyone their assigned jobs and I’ll meet up with you later.” 

 

Finally separating from Chan, Felix bounced up to Jisung and grabbed onto his hand before pulling him forwards towards the gigantic gates of the city on the horizon. They quickly found a place to stay and dropped their bags into their respective rooms. They had always switched up roommates when staying together at night, it just seemed more interesting that way; everyone could truly get to know and become comfortable with each other. However, recently, the newly reunited couples tended to stay together when they could, rooming with each other when they got the chance so, when Felix asked Jisung if he could stay with him tonight, Changbin immediately furrowed his brows in confusion, wondering why Felix didn’t want to spend time with him. 

 

“Oh, Innie, since those who participated in the tournament will be coming to this ball in two days, that means Jaebum hyung and the others should be coming too, right? Do you think you could send them a wisp to let them know where we are staying? We actually haven’t managed to send one to them yet.”

 

“Sure, Channie hyung. I can do that. I feel like I’m getting a lot better with the wisps too. I don’t feel as exhausted anymore. I’ll send one now.” 

 

“Well, we should look around the town, right? We’ll shop for our clothing tomorrow, let’s just enjoy ourselves for today. How about we split up? I’m gonna go around with Woojinnie for a while and Innie, I’d like you to come along too. That way, we can know Jaebum hyung’s answer when it comes back.”

 

“Ok, hyung. Let’s go then!” Jeongin jumped in the air as he ushered his wisp away after leaving his message with it to deliver it to the older group of boys. He grabbed Woojin and Chan’s hands before leading them out the door towards the undiscovered city. 

 

It didn’t take two seconds before Jisung had grabbed Minho by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out the door, with Seungmin interlocking his arm with Hyunjin and following straight after. That left Felix and Changbin to stand alone in the room that seemed far too silent despite both boys usually being very talkative. 

 

“I guess that leaves us. Come on then, I suppose we’re spending the day together.” 

 

_ ‘Control your enthusiasm, Lix,’  _ Changbin thought. Whatever was bothering Felix or whatever Changbin had done, it made the Medic think that this particular day wasn’t going to be as fun for him as it was going to be for all of the others. 

 

* * *

 

“So, yeah, that’s what we’re doing today.” 

 

“Huh? Did you say something, Innie?” 

 

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it, hyung.” 

 

Woojin quickly shrugged his shoulders as he walked beside Chan down the main street of the uncharted city. It didn’t matter how many places that they travelled to in the game, each city boasted something new and exciting for them. The buildings of Balisa stood at least fifty feet tall and squished together as they blocked out a lot of the light that the sun provided. The cobblestone path caused Woojin to have to steady himself every so often since he was beginning to lose his footing on the uneven pavement. 

 

“Do you think that this plan of Lix’s will work?”

 

“Probably, Woojinnie, though he seems to be going in the direction of ignoring Changbinnie all day. I think he’ll be agonising over what’s causing Lix to be in such a bad mood. I guess if it keeps him occupied, then it’s a decent enough plan.” 

 

“Yeah, Lix hyung made this plan up and told us what we need to do, so I’m with Channie hyung and Woojinnie hyung.”

 

“Innie, who the hell are you talking to?” 

 

Stopping in his tracks, Woojin whipped around to look at Jeongin, the boy allowing one of his wisps to rest on his shoulder as he stared back. 

 

_ “Is that Woojin hyung?” _

 

“Yeah, Yedamie. I gotta go, I talk to you later. Send me another wisp if you want, ok?”

 

_ “Sure, Jeongin, talk to you soon.” _

 

And with that, Jeongin whispered the little chant to send the little light away. He smiled brightly back at Chan when the Knight saw that he had kept his promise with the other Necromancer to keep in contact after they left Yedam in the small village. 

 

“I was speaking with Yedam, hyung. He sent me a wisp just after we left the inn. I was talking to him about what we’re doing today. You know, he said the funniest thing- Channie hyung,  _ why _ are you looking at me like that?” 

 

The Knight immediately straightened himself, changing his face to a blank slate and shaking his head like he had no idea what Jeongin was talking about.

 

“So, this Yedam kid, you mention him a lot. You seem really close after spending such a small amount of time together, Innie.” 

 

“He’s very easy to get along with. We’ve become good friends. Hold on, that tone of yours seems to be implying something, hyung.”

 

Woojin chuckled a little when he saw the slight alarm in Jeongin’s eyes before a tint of scarlet started to creep up the back of his neck. It didn’t help that Chan had turned his back to the younger boy to try and contain his laughter at the statement. 

 

“I’m not implying anything, Innie. Wait, a couple of nights ago when you were sleeping in the tent with Seungmin and Hyunjin, I heard you speaking with someone when I woke up in the middle of the night. Was that Yedam too?”    
  


The Necromancer seemed to contemplate his answer before he lowered his eyes to the ground and nodded his head. Woojin wasn’t going to push the boy any further on the subject when he saw how embarrassed and closed off he was becoming. Bobbing his head with a fond smile, Woojin simply turned around before linking his arm with Chan and beginning to walk away again, feeling Jeongin automatically start to walk behind him in his shadow’s footsteps. He could see something in the younger boy’s eyes when he spoke of Yedam but he could also see that Jeongin wasn’t quite sure in himself what he felt towards the other boy. 

 

Hearing Chan laugh through his nose as he strolled beside him, Woojin craned his neck to glance at the Knight. 

 

“Innie asked me why I was looking at him like that. It was because he sounds pretty damn similar to me when I used to talk about you in the beginning. Funny, I didn’t see it when we spent time together with Yedam but the saying seems to hold some truth: ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ Maybe he is just a friend but only time will tell I guess.” 

 

Chan began to skip at a steady pace, pulling Woojin with him before both were merrily hopping down the path. They could almost feel Jeongin’s stare on their backs, a pleading look to stop embarrassing him but they thought that they held this privilege, to humiliate their children when they had the chance. Laughing giddily, the eldest members left Jeongin behind in their tracks, the Necromancer not particularly wanting to keep up with them in case he was associated with the exasperating hyungs who did this a little to often for his liking.  

 

* * *

 

“Which one do you think we should get, Jinnie? What do you think he would like?” 

 

Browsing around the shop, Hyunjin debated all of the options that were being displayed. Chan had informed both Seungmin and himself of their job with regards to Felix’s plan and they were more than happy to go along with his idea. He thought it awfully considerate of his best friend to pair him with Seungmin for the day, not that he hadn’t been spending all of his time with the Illusionist anyways. 

 

Bending down to inspect further, Seungmin glowed brightly as an endearing smile spread across his face at the thought of all the fun they would have together later on. He wasn’t completely sure what Changbin’s tastes would be when it came to something like this, Felix would have been better equipped with that sort of knowledge but he knew the Beast Master was currently doing his best to keep Changbin’s suspicions at bay. Finally deciding on their purchase, Seungmin began to stand and show Hyunjin what it was that he had chosen for the Medic but came face to face with another instead, someone he thought he wouldn’t ever see inside of the game. 

 

“Huh? Seungmin? Oh, man, no way! You’ve got to be kidding me! Wow, didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.” 

 

Smile immediately vanishing from his face and knees feeling weak, Seungmin felt his gaze drop before he frantically began to look around the store for Hyunjin, not seeing the boy in his peripheral vision. The unbearable tension in his chest made him feel like he was going to throw up but he would never give the other boy the satisfaction of that. Instead, he began to steady himself, knowing that this was a fight he would have to persevere through by himself. Though, that had never worked out too well for him before. 

 

“Heonwoo, what are you doing here?”   
  


“Do you mean in the game or in the store? With regards to the game, nobody knows how we got in here, right? As for the store, am I not allowed to visit establishments like this? I live in Balisa and come here pretty much every day. Or is it that you’re still that uncomfortable being this close to me? Even when we’re not in the real world.” 

 

Heonwoo edged closer, Seungmin instantly moving backwards and bumping off of the display he had been looking at mere moments ago. The Illusionist felt a hand fall around his wrist, trying to free himself from the rather painful grasp by frenziedly shaking his arm. He hadn’t seen the other boy in months and if he was being brutally honest, he was rather glad of the fact. Seungmin genuinely couldn’t remember a time where he had been glad to see Heonwoo before but now he was standing in front of him with a smile that seemed far too fake to the Illusionist.

 

“Come on, Seungminnie, we used to have such fun in school. You’re not still scared of me, right?” 

 

He desperately wanted to say no, to speak without his voice wavering but he knew if he tried to open his mouth again, his lack of nerve would betray the feelings his wanted to convey. Seungmin knew to keep his head down, that’s what he had always been told to do when he was face to face with Heonwoo. Locking his stare with the darkened eyes of the other was always seen as a bad move and he wasn’t going to make that mistake. 

 

“Can I help you with something?”    
  


Feeling his wrist eventually being freed from the grasp that made him feel like his circulation was being cut off, Seungmin let out a shaky breath as he noticed Hyunjin coming to stand beside him, holding Heonwoo’s forearm in the air. Seungmin immediately grasped the back of the Alchemist’s jacket with a restrictive grip, letting Hyunjin know that he was exceedingly uncomfortable about the situation that he had been placed in. 

 

It seemed to Hyunjin that Seungmin had almost reverted back to his former self, the one they had found being held hostage back in Aquiria, the one who avoided making eye contact with people, who shied away from a warm touch and comforting whispers. Eyes cast downwards and snuggling into Hyunjin’s side, Seungmin kept his mouth firmly shut, not wanting to incur either of the boys’ wrath that were standing in front of him. 

 

“Hey, man, what’s your problem? I was just catching up with an old friend. Why do you have to butt into something that isn’t your business? Who the hell are you anyways?” 

 

“I don’t have to tell you who I am. Seungmin’s business is my business and I’ll interfere if I think he’s being placed in a questionable situation, especially with a rude prick who apparently doesn’t have any manners.” 

 

Seungmin could both see and feel the anger beginning to build up inside of Hyunjin and felt the need to lay an assuring hand on the small of his back to let him know not to get caught up in his emotions. Heonwoo wasn’t worth it and he really didn’t feel like making a scene in the middle of the store, already feeling the stares of patrons and employees alike. 

 

“Woah, calm down a little, dude. No need to get so uptight. We were classmates. Come on, Seungminnie, tell him!” 

 

Both gazes fluttering over to the red headed boy, noticing his stare still firmly set on the ground, Hyunjin saw a small bob of Seungmin’s head to let him know that the other boy was in fact telling the truth. 

 

“Yeah, we were classmates.” 

 

“Oh, really? Doesn’t seem like you were very close though.”

 

Seeing a sly smile creep onto the other’s face, Hyunjin could say with certainty that he most definitely did not care for Seungmin’s former classmate. He didn’t need a particular reason; the way Seungmin was acting around him was more than enough justification for disliking the smirking boy. 

 

Something immediately clicked inside of Hyunjin’s head as he thought back to what Seungmin had told him about his past, why he held the class that he did and it made his resentment flare just that little bit more. Hyunjin maneuvered himself ever so slightly to whisper in Seungmin’s ear, lightly brushing a few strands of hair away. 

 

“Minnie, the stories you told me about your time in school, was this guy the cause of them?”

 

Garnering a quick nod, Hyunjin had to bite his tongue to stop himself from yelling at the boy still standing in front of them with such a pompous attitude. More than anything, he held himself back for Seungmin, knowing the Illusionist wouldn’t want to give the other boy cause to inflate his ego any further. 

 

“Oh, wait, are you guys together? In that way? I saw the two of you during the tournament but I thought you were just fighting partners. Seems I was wrong.” 

 

Only for Seungmin’s grip around his forearm, Hyunjin would have easily leapt forward to punch the snide grin off of the boy’s face. He wondered what it must be like to hold that much pretension and hatred inside of yourself that it seeped out through your words to attack others who were innocent of any wrongdoing. Hyunjin was certain that Seungmin would never have done something to elicit such venom coated words from anyone but those were always the people who had to endure such malice and antagonism in the real world. 

 

Remembering all the times he had harshly met with the ground after being tripped in the hallway, of being pushed into his locker by so many hands that he hated touching him, of being threatened with physical violence and harsh insults until he handed over what little money he had in his pockets, Seungmin began to recede even further into himself at the thoughts of his lack of courage. 

 

“Yup, you were wrong. We are together. In  _ that  _ way and I’ve honestly never been happier, so you can drop that snarky tone.” 

 

Seungmin finally raised his head to stare at the raven haired boy pulling him into his side even further. It was the look of utmost sincerity within Hyunjin’s eyes that made Seungmin’s heart nearly jump from his chest when he heard that he managed to make someone else joyful and content. He was sure he had never truly done that before, not in the real world anyways. A miniscule smile managed to crack his hardened expression, one that did not go unnoticed by Heonwoo. 

 

“Tsk, having someone else fight your battles for you now, eh, Seungmin? You were always so passive, no matter what we did, you would never fight back. Too bad this guy seems like too much of a wuss to actually use his fists to defend his boyfriend. Is he paying you to do that by the way? To defend him, to be his friend, to be in a relationship with him? Cause that’s the only way he could ever have someone willing to deal with him in their life. You look like you really wanna hit me right now, man. Come on, give me a reason.”

 

Jabbing a finger into Hyunjin’s chest, Heonwoo dragged that sickeningly sweet smile back onto his lips as he held his face mere centimeters away from Hyunjin’s. The Alchemist bit the inside of his cheek, knowing full well what Heonwoo was trying to do but he was not going to be the reason that a fight broke out in the middle of an open area, no matter how much the rage inside him told him to lay into the boy with his fists for ever hurting Seungmin. He knew that he would get torn apart by his hyungs later if he let something like that happen, putting Seungmin in danger like that. Hyunjin also knew that the Illusionist would more than likely be upset with him if he were to instigate a fight since he had been holding him back the whole time or, at least, that’s what he assumed but maybe that was a rather inaccurate assumption. 

 

“Don’t…”

 

Breaking the staring match that they were having, with hostility coating their eyes, Heonwoo and Hyunjin stared at Seungmin, unsure whether they had actually heard the soft murmur fall from Seungmin’s lips or not. 

 

“Minnie?”

 

“Don’t touch him, Heonwoo.” 

 

The atmosphere around all three boys seemed to shift slightly, making it seem as the entire store went silent at Seungmin’s command, keeping their eyes trained on him to see what would happen next. 

 

“Oh, I think that’s the first time I’ve gotten a reaction out of you. All it took was to threaten someone else you care about? In fairness though, you didn’t have any friends to threaten back in school.”

 

The boy looked back to Hyunjin, smirking slightly when he realised he had found yet another one of Seungmin’s weaknesses. “If _ you _ had been around in school, I think things would have been a lot more interesting” As he spoke to Hyunjin, he decidedly dug his finger into the Alchemist’s chest again but gathered rather quickly that this had been a pretty grievous mistake on his part.  

 

Heonwoo dropped to his knees as the finger that had been tapping Hyunjin’s chest was grabbed and bent backwards with an unbearable pressure. Small grunts and yells leaving the boy’s mouth, he glared at Seungmin still holding onto his index finger as the red headed boy burned a hole in his face with his menacing gaze. 

 

“Didn’t you hear me? I said don’t touch him, Heonwoo. You’re fight was always with me, if you could even call it that. It wasn’t that I couldn’t fight back, it’s that I chose not to because of the fact that it was always your little group of thugs against me on my own. Did it make you feel big, Heonwoo? Setting seven or eight guys on me? Well, now you have nobody to hide behind. Besides, what you put me through pales in comparison to the shit I’ve endured in the game. I don’t have much of a reason to be scared of you anymore when I think about it. Stay there on the ground where you belong until we leave the store.” 

 

Hyunjin had to admit that he didn’t see this side of Seungmin very often but it made his skin tingle when he did. The Alchemist remembered encountering this once before, back when they had competed in the tournament and Seunghyun had come to attack Hyunjin with his words. Seungmin had stood up for him, making a scene but not inciting a physical fight in the end. It had worked back then and seemed to work again as Heonwoo cradled his injured finger as he gaped with disbelieving eyes at the boy who told the slightly shaken woman behind the counter which item they had chosen to buy for Changbin before handing over the money, grabbing Hyunjin’s hand and beginning to walk out the front door, the little bell jingling to signify they were leaving. Glancing backwards at the frozen boy on the floor, Hyunjin chuckled a little before flipping him off and sticking out his tongue. He was more than certain that Heonwoo had never seen this side of Seungmin before either but was sure that he wouldn’t forget how he had been brought to his knees because of the red headed boy who had endured so much of his mocking in the past. 

 

“I guess I’ll see you at school, Heonwoo, if we ever manage to get out of here. I look forward to it,” Seungmin hummed, crystal clear, not turning his head to look at his high school bully who had lost this particular battle. 

 

Eventually walking out in the cool midday air, Hyunjin felt the grip around his hand tighten, seeing the white knuckles trembling after the tense showdown he had not been expecting. 

 

“Minnie, you’re ok.”

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make a scene. He shouldn’t have touched you or spoken to you like that. You had nothing to do with our fight.”

 

Hyunjin grabbed the paper bag from the other’s hand before turning Seungmin towards him and tilting his head upwards slightly to leave a delicate peck on his lips. “Minnie, like I told that asshole, your business is my business. Hey, I was ready to freaking deck that guy right from the start but the way you were holding onto me made me refrain from doing so. Seems like you didn’t need my help anyways. You’re promise of protecting me has already been fulfilled. I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself.” 

 

“I think I stood up for you more than I did for myself.” 

 

“And that can be a harder thing to do to be honest, standing up for someone else. Breathe, I’m here. You don’t have to deal with anything by yourself anymore. Though, Jisung was right, you are fucking terrifying sometimes but I wouldn’t have you any other way. Come on, we should go.” 

 

The conviction in Hyunjin’s face made Seungmin understand that the Alchemist had no intention of leaving him if they ever managed to escape the game together. Knowing that they both grew up and lived in Seoul, it would make it so much simpler were they to stay together once they left Phantasm. Still holding tightly onto Hyunjin’s hand as they wandered down the street towards their lodging, Seungmin let the biggest smile sweep across his face, feeling more at ease than he ever had before. 

 

 

* * *

 

It had been a rather long day for Changbin, which was strange seeing as he had spent the majority of it with the freckled boy who he wished he could spend all of his time with. He honestly felt like he had committed some sort of vengeful crime with the way Felix was giving him the cold shoulder. They had traversed much of the town, committing to memory some of the stores that they could visit together before they shopped for their clothing with the others for the ball the following day. Felix always seemed to keep two steps ahead of the Medic, not paying any attention to him throughout the day and it was causing Changbin to become a little frustrated when he was more than certain he hadn’t done anything to elicit this kind of treatment. 

 

Just arriving at the steps to the entrance, Changbin decided that he didn’t want to go to sleep with this negative tension hanging over his head. If he had done something to upset Felix, he would rather the other boy just spit it out so that he could fix it instead of acting like a child in a sour mood. Grabbing Felix’s wrist and finally meeting his eyes for the first time since they entered Balisa, Changbin once again frowned when he saw the look of utter indifference plastered on the other’s face, like he hadn’t been ignoring him all goddamn day. 

 

“So, are you going to tell me why you’ve been in such a foul mood and not taking two seconds to look at or speak to me today?” 

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

 

Nope, no way, Changbin wasn’t going to stand here while Felix made it seem like he had been imagining his lack of interaction with him all day. Letting out a rather unamused chuckle, Changbin latched onto both of Felix’s wrists, making the boy stare at him straight on before he could avert his eyes again. 

 

“Lix, if I did something, then tell me what it was so I can fix it. If I hurt you in some way, then I want to know about it so it will never happen again. I don’t want you to be upset with me but I’m getting a little pissed off myself at the moment.” 

 

Seeing a slight crack in Felix’s facade, the stars in his eyes glossing over a little, Changbin relaxed, thinking that he was finally going to hear why Felix had been neglecting him all day. He gently let go of his wrists but Felix immediately took this opportunity to spin around and sprint in the door. 

 

The little droplets of the shower passing over the city fell upon Changbin’s face as he stood stunned in the doorway of the inn. He had been so sure that Felix would spill his secret to him, why he had treated him in such a way but it seemed that the Medic didn’t know the other as well as he thought he did. 

 

Mind running frantically through so many possibilities, Changbin landed on a frightening one that made his stomach flip: did Felix want to end what was going on between them? That wasn’t possible. Felix said that he had been just as invested in the relationship as Changbin had been and the way that the Beast Master had acted, the way he spoke to him, the playful kisses and hugs filled with immeasurable meaning let Changbin know that it was all true and more than real but now, the events of the day they had spent together made him completely doubt everything that they shared. He didn’t want to lose Felix, the younger boy was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he managed to make every day so much brighter than Changbin ever thought possible. 

 

Trudging up the stairs, Changbin’s legs wavered at the thought of not holding Felix close anymore; it made his heart clench and the pain was unbearable. Would he have to keep travelling with the rest of the group as the awkwardness pooled around them? Or would Felix leave because he couldn’t stand being around Changbin anymore? Hyunjin wouldn’t let him leave by himself, not after everything they had gone through together. Seungmin would probably follow Hyunjin and Jeongin would, in turn, leave with the Illusionist, so he would end up losing more than one of the most important people in his life. He couldn’t lose his friends, he wouldn’t allow it to happen but when Felix wouldn’t talk about the reason for their feud, how could he stop it? Why was this happening to him? And he didn’t even know the reason why. 

 

Placing his palm on the door to his bedroom, Changbin let his forehead rest against the cool wood, trying to erase the tears building up in his eyes before they managed to break free and slip over. He didn’t know what he was going to do but maybe he just needed to give Felix some space for a while. He didn’t want to seem overbearing, that would just make the situation worse. Collecting himself, he quickly pushed the door open in the hopes of just slipping into his bed, snuggling under the warm covers and allowing sleep to drag him away and forget about everything that had happened today. However, he wasn’t lucky enough to get that far. 

 

Jumping back a couple of feet, Changbin immediately covered his ears to stop them from being attacked by the echoing bangs that were accompanied by falling, multi coloured streamers that rained down on top of him. The Medic carefully looked up to see all of his friends glancing at him with smiles too bright for his own mood. 

 

“Happy birthday!” 

 

The beat of silence that followed after felt like an eternity as Changbin tried to gather his thoughts. Birthday? Whose birthday was it? Seeing the way all of the others fixated their stares on him, he quickly gathered that they had been shouting the phrase at him. Being so caught up with the situation with Felix and being stuck in this game overall, Changbin really hadn’t thought about such menial things as birthdays but if he calculated the dates in his head, today was indeed the day on which his birthday fell. He quickly glanced at Felix who stood at the head of the group, the biggest, stupidest grin on his face and Changbin finally grasped what had been happening all day. The relief that flooded his body was soon accompanied by tears, the Medic unable to cease them when he realised that he had been played by a fool. 

 

Seeing the streaks run down his cheeks, Felix immediately let his grin drop, running forwards to hold Changbin’s face between his fingertips. 

 

“Binnie? What’s the matter? Why are you crying? I didn’t get your birthday wrong, did I? You told me that it was the 11th! Wh-? Ow! Changbin! What the hell?!” Felix did his best to defend himself from the little slaps that were coming into contact with his arms as Changbin released his pent up frustration.

 

“You son of a bitch! I thought you wanted to break up with me! Is this why you’ve been ignoring me all day?! You couldn’t think of a better way to throw me off of the trail?! Fuck, Felix! I hate you!” 

 

The Beast Master eventually secured his arms around Changbin’s to deter him from lashing out any further as the other boys giggled and moved back to start pouring drinks for everyone. 

 

“Break up with you? Why on earth would you think that, Binnie? I would never even consider it, not after how long it’s taken us to get here. Ok, I’m sorry, I had to ignore you all day because if I talked to you too much, I would have let something slip and it wouldn’t be a surprise. Jinnie is right on the fact that I can’t keep my mouth shut about anything, especially from you. I couldn’t stay away from you either or you would have known something was wrong since I pretty much hang out of you all day. I’m sorry, Binne. I’m really,  _ really  _ sorry.” 

 

Changbin eventually stopped struggling but let his pout frame his face for a little while longer. Feeling Felix play with his hair, he deflated into the touch and let his chin rest upon the boy’s shoulder before his hands found their way around his waist. 

 

“You’re sneaky, Lee Felix and I hate how I trusted you so much that I couldn’t see that you were up to something. I’m never putting my faith in you again.” 

 

“Yeah you will because you  _ love  _ me, Binnie. Come on, this is your party and you’re not going to disregard all of our hard work.” 

 

Felix dragged the Medic by the hand over to the others in the room, most lost in conversation already before they turned their attention to the boy who all of this had been set up for. The makeshift table was lined with snacks, all of them surrounding the piece that took center stage. The chocolate marble cake was topped with strawberries and cream and dusted with golden sprinkles in the shapes of stars. 

 

“Hyung, Minnie and I bought the cake and let me tell you, we had to put up a bit of a fight for it too.”

 

“Uh, what does that mean, Hyunjinnie?” Changbin asked worriedly as he was ushered in front of the table while Woojin lit the candles. 

 

“Nothing, hyung, don’t listen to him. Come on then, make a wish,” Seungmin trilled before all of the boys began to sing happy birthday to Changbin. 

 

Closing his eyes, everything dimmed into slow motion as Changbin began to think of what to wish for. It may seem so simple to some people, it should have been obvious what he should have wished for: to get out of this game. However, that wasn’t what was important to him right now. The people surrounding him, those who tried to make the day he was born as special as possible, they were the most valuable thing in his life. Tuning back into reality, he heard the song coming to a close and knew that he was to silently whisper his wish into the air. He wished that he would always have these boys around him, that he would be lucky enough to constantly receive their companionship and love like he was now. As much as he wanted to return to the real world, if his friends weren’t beside him, then it would mean nothing. 

 

“Blow out the candles, Changbinnie!” Minho exalted and the Medic had no choice but to comply as he extinguished the little lights that flickered before going out completely. This world was full of magic, of that he was sure and he wondered if something that he didn’t say out loud would come true since weird things like that happened every single day within Phantasm. Hearing the claps from behind him, Changbin felt an arm hook with his own and pull him away. 

 

“Hyung, hyung! Min and I got something for you! Well, it’s from all of us but we had to pick it out. I think you’ll like my surprise!” 

 

Jisung bounced over to Changbin’s bed where he reached for a small, white bag and handed it to the Medic with a very devious grin and Changbin had already decided that he wasn’t going to be presently surprised by this particular gift. He was glad he set himself up for a let down when he reached inside the bag and pulled out Jisung’s ‘surprise’. 

 

“A first aid kit…”

 

“Yeah, like that time you said you got me a surprise and gave me one of those? Do you like it?” 

 

Changbin could decide to go about this in one of two ways: glare at the Thief with an unimpressed expression or the other option which he decided to play up. 

 

“Jisungie! How did you know?! I love it so,  _ so  _ much! I’ll put it to good use, I promise!” Wrapping his arms around Jisung’s neck, Changbin planted a huge smooch on the Thief’s cheek, eliciting high pitched screams as the boy squirmed to get free. 

 

“Hyung! All right, all right! I’ll give you your real present!” 

 

Minho had to clutch at his stomach as he passed the other bag that they had purchased for the Medic’s birthday. Changbin thanked the Tracker before pulling out his second present of the night, his fingers coming into something rather soft and fluffy. He would be lying if he said a sense of warmth didn’t immediately spread throughout his chest when he came face to face with a plushie of a munchlax, identical to the one he had back home in the real world. 

 

“I’m not sure if it’s exactly the same as the one you talked to me about, hyung. I tried my best to remember the drawing you did once and describe it as best I could to the guy who made it. He created it with magic, with his class’ abilities, which is why it didn’t take as long as it should have but it might look a little different-”

 

“There is no difference, Jisungie. It’s the same as the one I have back in the real world. How did you think of getting me something like this?” 

 

“It was the first thing he suggested, Changbinnie. He thought that you would like it since you find it hard to sleep sometimes. It was smart of Lix to allow Jisung to pick out your gift since he knows you the best. So, did he do a good job?” Minho cooed, already knowing the answer since the Medic hadn’t taken his eyes off of the stuffed toy since he secured it in his hands. This assumption was only furthered when Jisung was soon wrapped in Changbin’s embrace once again but this time, it held a feeling of genuine thankfulness and fondness. 

 

“Thank you, Jisung. Seriously, I absolutely love it.” 

 

“You’re welcome, hyung. Happy birthday.” Garnering a small giggle from the Medic, Jisung figured he had done a rather good job in completing the task he had been assigned by Felix.

 

“Alright, the food isn’t going to devour itself. Kids, dig in!” Chan didn’t have to tell the others twice before the treats were being cleared from the plates, all settling on the floor of the room as they shared stories and laughter. 

 

As the others conversed amongst themselves, Felix scooted a little bit closer to Changbin, grabbing the Medic’s hand and dropping a little trinket into his palm. “I completely forgot to give this to you and the others. Younghyun hyung made these with his members and gave them to me before we left. Apparently, if you have them on you, it increases your luck. See? Yours is shaped like a Nokkedi, just like Sawa. Isn’t it cute?” 

 

Changbin jingled the little golden beast around in his hand before attaching it to his belt and looking back to the fiery redhead who was smiling so sweetly at him. 

 

“Why would I need to increase my luck when I’m already the luckiest guy in the world since I have you?” Changbin gently met Felix’s lips with his own, causing a faint blush to creep up onto the younger’s cheeks. 

 

“Oh my god, could you be any cheesier? You’re so ridiculous.” 

 

“Lix, don’t be mean to me on my birthday. Oh, wait, you already were, pretty much all day. Time for payback.” 

 

Felix didn’t have time to react as Changbin launched towards him with fingers digging into his sides to allow the Beast Master to scream at him to stop when he managed to breathe through his giggles. It wasn’t long before it evolved into all of the members torturing Changbin when he heard someone shout “birthday tickles!” and found himself at the mercy of his friends. He wasn’t sure who it was but he felt his cheeks being kissed way too many times in the short span of time he was on the ground, writhing to break free, however futile it was. Then again, he wasn’t sure if he entirely wanted to get up because, if he was being honest with himself, this was one of the best birthdays he had ever had, all thanks to the boys surrounding him, his best friends in the whole entire world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's with all this softness, huh? So unlike me!


	39. Fights don't last forever and they bring good days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So, there's just one more chapter before the ball, you'll be getting it next week. Anyways, hope you all enjoy!

It had been rather late by the time all the boys had finally given up celebrating Changbin’s birthday. He quietly mentioned that once it hit midnight it would no longer be his birthday but Felix made a very stern point in a very cute voice that they had spent a good majority of his special day doing very banal things so, they were going to extend the celebrations well past the allotted time. 

 

A vast majority of the night had been based around telling and listening to rather embarrassing stories, all involving Changbin in some way. The Medic made a rather futile effort to silence Woojin when he told him of one of the first nights he had spent with the two younger boys after agreeing to join their group. After he had taken the boys for drinks, Changbin had ordered another but somehow managed to spill it all over the Bard’s lap, apologising profusely and fretting that he had just ruined the new friendship that he had made, not knowing the kind soul that Woojin truly was. Just as that had been taken care of, Jeongin whispered something to Chan, making the Knight gaze fondly at the youngest boy and agree with his suggestion. 

 

“Alright, per Innie’s request, we should all go around and say something that we love about Changbinnie. It only seems right after all of the crap that we’ve given him today.” 

 

Whether it was Jisung telling him that if he looked in the dictionary he would find his picture beside the word visual, Chan honestly saying that he was always someone that they could truly rely on or Jeongin calling him ‘one smart cookie’, Changbin couldn’t help but feel a little bit flustered as all their attention focused in on him. Sleep eventually dragged all of them away and even though it felt like he had just closed his eyes, Changbin felt a little shove against his shoulder to stir him from his sleep.

 

“Hyung, hyung. Hey, Changbinnie hyung, wake up already.”

 

“What’s the matter, Innie?”

 

“Hyung, it’s nearly 10am and the message we got back from Jaebum hyung said that they would come to our room at that time. So, don’t you think we should get up?”

 

Changbin jolted upwards, staring at the sleepy Necromancer who couldn’t quite seem to keep his eyes open. Jeongin had mentioned to him at some point during the night that the wisp he had sent to Jaebum and the others had returned, harbouring a simple message of:  _ “We’ll be arriving in the city later on. We’ll come to your room at 10am tomorrow. See you then.”  _

 

While the contents may have seemed safe enough, Jeongin had mentioned that the tone that Jaebum had used had been rather cold. This wasn’t awfully surprising to Changbin. After all, they had pretty much run away from his older group of friends and put themselves in mortal danger, not thinking about sending them a wisp to let them know that they were ok after they had fallen through the portal. The only hope they had was that Yukhei had managed to find them and relay the message that they were safe and well. Even then, Yukhei had only known that Minho, Changbin and Jisung had made it out and Jisung hadn’t been in the best condition before he left either. Why wouldn’t the others be pissed at them?   

 

The Medic jumped up, letting out a roar that made everyone startle from their position on the ground as they hugged one another close. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do when Minho immediately jumped up into a fighting stance with Katana already in hand to protect his friends, with Jisung flinching harshly and throwing a blanket over his head. 

 

“Shit, sorry, I didn’t want to wake you guys up that way but Jaebum hyung and the others are coming, so we better-” 

 

A triple knock came upon the door as nine sleepy heads turned towards it. There was a moment where they looked to each other, holding their hands out to play rock, paper, scissors to see who would be the one to answer the door. Chan unfortunately pulled the short straw in the situation, hopping up from his position beside Woojin and tip toeing over to the door before gently pulling it open. 

 

He tried to form a welcoming smile but the seven glares that were shot back at him made him cower ever so slightly and hide behind the door he had just cracked open. Filing into the room, Jaebum and Jackson stood at the head of the group, cocking an eyebrow at the boys still on the ground before they quickly bounced upwards to stand in a line. Jisung was slower to rise than the rest, wondering why there was such a suffocating tension beginning to fill the small space. 

 

“Min, why do they look so peeved?” 

 

Minho never really thought about it but they hadn’t thought to explain how they hadn’t included the group of young men in their plans to rescue him, not even presenting them with a choice. Though, he knew from the look in the elder boys’ eyes that this was not the time to go into how they had deceived them so that they wouldn’t put them in danger. 

 

“Jaebum hyung, listen-”

 

“No, Changbin, you listen. How dare you guys run off like that. You went off to fight someone like Gyujin, not letting any of us know why the hell you were looking for a psychopath other than Jisung might have been in trouble. You didn’t even have the courtesy to say it to our faces and let us decide for ourselves whether or not we wanted to help you guys out. Do you realise how long we searched for you guys? That when I tried to locate your energies, I managed to find them all in one particular place but then, suddenly, they all disappeared at once? That when we found the building that had collapsed in on itself, we spent hours clawing through the rubble expecting to find your bodies underneath?  Now, you’re going to try and pretend that everything is fine, all roses and sunshine because you somehow miraculously made it out alive with all of you still in one piece?!”   
  


“Wait, you guys didn’t tell them that you were coming to rescue me?”

  
Changbin quickly shook his head at Jisung’s question but kept his eyes firmly locked with the leader of the other group as the elder let his anger seep through. He admitted that he had been reprimanded by Jaebum and the others before on a number of occasions. The most prominent of these memories reminding him when he had run away from his group of friends when they had tried to explain to him where he was and who they were the first time he had opened his eyes in Phantasm. Not believing anything that they were saying, he waited until they had left to open the only window in the room before he shimmied down the drainpipe to make his escape. Running for what felt like hours, he found himself in heavily wooded area, pushing the overgrown branches away from his path before slipping and falling into a small ravine. It didn’t take him long to figure out he had twisted his ankle, his knee also being injured enough in the fall to make him unable to walk. Not knowing, or rather, believing the powers he held, he laid on the cold ground, mud caking his hands and face before he felt drops hitting his face from the rain above. Only for Jaebum could literally feel his fear with his Psychic powers, Changbin was sure he would have probably just stayed down there and died on his own, nobody venturing that far down into the pit to ever discover him. They carefully carried him back to the inn, Jackson had fixed his injuries and bandaged him up before the young Medic was subject to a rather lengthy admonishing about trusting them and not putting himself in danger like that again. 

 

While that had been hard to listen to, Changbin felt that Jaebum’s voice held a much darker tone this time around; the Psychic didn’t seem to be in the mood to play any sort of game. 

 

“Your friend Yukhei did eventually manage to find us and let us know what had happened. He told us that you three were together but that Jisung wasn’t doing so good. It looks like that’s changed a bit. How are you feeling Jisung?” Youngjae queried, obviously tremendously concerned for the boy after Yukhei had divulged all of the information about their rather recent rescue mission. 

 

“Oh, I’m fine, hyung. One hundred percent better!” 

 

This earned the boy a small, sympathetic smile from the Scholar and the rest of his group before they turned back to the others to gaze at them coldly once again. Jisung was rather glad that he seemed to be safe from receiving their wrath since he really didn’t have anything to do with leaving them behind, not that he had a choice on the matter. 

 

The Thief just stood quietly and bit his lip as the rigidity of the room increased with each passing second. Since this whole mess had pretty much been caused by him, Jisung thought that he should probably help his friends out before they could look any more dejected. 

 

“Can I say something? This whole problem was my fault, caused by how secretive I was about my past. I should have told all of you about who I was sooner. That way, this whole predicament mightn’t have even come about but it did and for that, I’m sorry. I know this probably isn’t what you all want to hear but had the others been able to ask my opinion, I would have told them to leave you behind too.” 

 

The eldest group of boys’ eyes widened at the statement, obviously ready to start yelling at the Thief before he held out two hands to stop them. 

 

“That wasn’t because I didn’t trust you or thought you were lacking in any way. You probably would have had a higher success rate than  _ these  _ guys but I couldn’t allow friends that I just made to put their lives on the line for me. Hell, I didn’t even want  _ them _ to come for me but they did anyways. They just wanted to make sure you guys were safe, that Gyujin wouldn’t rip you away from each other and I agree with that. If one of you had been taken, you wouldn’t have let us come along to help, right?” 

 

Open mouths quickly shut themselves at the Thief’s reasoning, allowing a small smile to grace Jisung’s lips. He knew he was getting closer to winning the battle, on the home stretch as it were. 

 

“So, thank you for getting angry, I know it’s just your way of showing how much you care about all of us. Maybe we were simply lucky but we managed to get out of there together. Hopefully, nothing like this will ever happen again but if we need your help, I promise that we will tell you guys. I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.” 

 

Jisung bowed deeply in apology towards the group of young men who gazed at him from the side, brows furrowed in both annoyance and understanding. They knew the reasoning behind the younger boys’ antics and why they had not been informed but it still hurt they they wouldn’t come to them in their time of need. Upon seeing Jisung bend forwards to ask for forgiveness, Jeongin immediately followed before all nine boys were in a line and begging for absolution of their crimes. 

 

“They seem to feel pretty bad, Jaebum. Maybe we should let them off the hook,” Mark mumbled close to the Psychic’s ear but it seemed that it didn’t go unnoticed by the bowing boys who all cocked their heads up slightly to see Jaebum’s reaction to the advice. 

 

Sighing deeply, the Psychic raised a warning finger as he shook it with indignation. “Any of you try this shit again and I promise you that you’ll all regret it. Am I making myself clear?”

 

“Yes, hyung,” all boys hummed sheepishly. Glancing sideways at Jisung, they were awfully thankful towards the Thief for managing to get them out of a rather serious situation.

 

“Are you sure all of you are alright? You look ok but that doesn’t always mean that you are.” 

 

They all knew exactly what Jackson was asking of them. Physical scars and injuries were one thing but what lay beneath the surface after something like that was invisible to the human eye. All stares seemed to veer towards the couple at the end of the line, Jisung and Minho glancing downwards at the question that Jackson presented before the Thief spoke up once again. 

 

“Sometimes I’m not. I think it will take a while longer to truly come to terms with what happened but I have the right people beside me to get through it.” He dropped his head a little so that he could look at all of his friends who were glimpsing back at him with fond smiles, throwing a tiny wink towards Felix as a silent form of thanks for helping him through that one particularly rough night he had endured. 

 

Minho couldn’t help but feel so very proud of Jisung as he admitted that he sometimes faltered, that sometimes, the shadows did come for him but that he was managing to keep them at bay because of the faith that he had in his friends. Grasping his hand in his, Minho threw Jisung a loving smile before swaying gently with the timing of their breaths.

 

“Oh? Is this a new thing? Don’t remember the two of you being together the last time we saw each other,” Jinyoung quipped, seeing both Jisung and Minho flush a shade darker but also noticing the rather wide grins that spread across their faces at the observation. 

 

“You have no idea, hyung. I leave these guys for a little while and I’m the only one who is by myself. Channie hyung and Woojinnie hyung being the dads that they are, Jisungie hyung and Minho hyung literally won’t leave each other’s side anymore, Hyunjinnie hyung and Seungminnie hyung are making my life a living hell with their annoying selves and then there’s-”

 

“Baby Changbin?” Jackson questioned, seven sets of eyes focusing in on the Medic and he knew that, while he thought the teasing he had received at the hands of the boys he travelled with was bad, nothing would compare to the torment he would hear from his older group of friends. However, nothing of the sort came his way. 

 

“Bin, looks like you found your other half. About time you said something to him. Felix, if you ever need help dealing with him or if he hurts you in any way, you come to us and let me know. We won’t let him get away with harming someone as sweet as you,” gushed Bambam and while it may have seemed like he was joking, Changbin couldn’t help but feel that this was one of the rare times when the Paladin was being completely serious. The smile that the older boy received from Felix just made his protective instincts rise up in his chest even more. 

 

“Thank you, hyung but I don’t think I’ll ever need to come to you for that reason.” 

 

With a satisfied bob of his head and a warning look towards Changbin, Bambam let his attention fall back to the group as a whole once again. “So, now that we’ve got the awkward silence and berating out of the way, let’s talk parties! What did you guys buy to wear for the ball tonight?”

 

“Oh, we haven’t bought anything yet, hyung. Actually we were going to head out and shop after meeting up with you guys,” explained Minho, earning himself a rather horrified expression from both Bambam and Jackson. 

 

“You guys don’t have your outfits yet?!” the two yelled in unison, hurriedly being hushed by Jinyoung who knew that not everyone would be rising at this hour of the day and were still wrapped up in their blankets, dreaming the day away. 

 

“It’s alright. Binnie and I looked around town yesterday…”

 

“Oh my god, he calls him Binnie. How cute is that?” Yugyeom chimed before urging Felix to continue. 

 

“...and we saw plenty of places that we could shop. Plus, Jisung and I decided that we would go and get our hair and makeup done too.”

 

“Huh? You are?”

 

“Yeah, Min. If anyone else wants to join us, you’re more than welcome. You know what we should do? Split into different teams and surprise each other once we’re all dressed up and ready to go tonight. I’ll take Lix, Seungminnie and Channie hyung and the rest can form the other team. Does that sound like a plan?” 

 

Deciding that they liked the sound of that idea, all agreed before asking the older group of boys if they would like to join them for breakfast and truly catch up on what they had missed while they had been apart. Noticing the leader of the group still holding an irritated pout on his face, they began to wait for his response, wondering if he really had let the whole topic of them leaving him behind go. 

 

Thinking about a certain magical power that he held, Jeongin hopped up to Jaebum, softly wrapping his hands around the elder’s arm, earning himself a rather quizzical look from the Psychic. 

 

“Hyung, you’re not still mad at us, right? We’re really sorry. We didn’t want any of you to get hurt. I-I should have tried harder to stop them from going without you. It’s all my fault. P-please don’t be upset with me, hyung.” 

 

Puppy eyes shining with built up, unshed tears, Jeongin’s lip began to tremble as he looked up to Jaebum and pleaded with him to forgive them. The elder immediately softened, placing soothing hands on the Necromancer’s shoulders and shushing him before he could begin to sob. 

 

“Jeongin, no, please don’t cry. It’s ok, I’m over it. As long as you guys make sure it won’t happen again, I forgive you. Here, do you need a tissue? I’m not angry with you, I promise. Come on, we’ll go with you guys to get some breakfast. It’s my treat, alright?” 

 

Jeongin nodded his head as he dabbed at his tear stained cheeks, allowing a sombre smile to fall on his face while thanking Jaebum for his understanding. The elder boys led the way, calling on all the others to follow them before Jeongin straightened himself and turned to his members, completely composed and breathing under control. 

 

“Works every time. Knew he wouldn’t be able to resist me.” 

 

“Holy crap.”    
  


“Innie, what did you just do?”

 

“Did he just trick Jaebum hyung into forgiving us?” 

 

“You’re able to cry on cue?”    


“Ok, we have the spawn of satan on our team.”    


“We should be a lot more cautious when dealing with this little monster from now on.”

  
“That’s what I’ve been telling you guys all along!” Seungmin yelled before heading out the door, mumbling that he always knew that Jeongin was evil and had pretty much everyone wrapped around his little finger.  

 

* * *

 

“What’s on your mind, Minho? You look awfully pensive.”

 

Woojin floated behind the Tracker, twiddling his fingers to fix the collar that stuck up a little too much for his liking. The black shirt, trousers and shoes combo that Minho had picked out seemed a little too drab for Woojin’s taste; not that Minho didn’t look great in anything, he did but Woojin thought that he needed a pop of colour. After grabbing a knee-length, ultramarine jacket with ebony, leather sleeves, he threw it over the younger boy’s shoulders and thought that he had done a rather decent job in picking something that suited both Minho’s taste and face, which the stylists in the local salon had done a rather fantastic job in touching up with makeup. Also grabbing a new set of dangle earrings and a pendant to match the colour of his jacket, Woojin honestly thought that Minho could have challenged any model on the planet. 

 

“I was just thinking that I grew up constantly wearing formal clothing like this but I never felt as good as I do now. It’s interesting to finally feel like myself in stuff like this.” 

 

While Jisung had been set on keeping Minho’s secret to himself, the Tracker became increasingly uncomfortable knowing that he was keeping yet another huge piece of information about himself from his members, even if he did constantly worry about what their reactions would be. He wasn’t quite sure how he would deal with telling them all as a group, so he decided to take it step by step and mention it to them individually or in smaller groups instead. A couple of nights ago, en route to Balisa, Minho had told Jisung about his plans to divulge his secret before carefully pulling both Chan and Woojin aside from the rest of the group. He thought that, in his heart, the two eldest boys would have been the hardest to tell. After all that had happened in their time together, Minho was agonising yet again over losing his friends but he couldn’t keep hiding things from them either. 

 

Feeling the worried stares of his hyungs, Minho braced himself to once again tell those he cared about and who cared about him about his past. He didn’t break down as much as he had when relinquishing the information to Jisung, though a tear or two did manage to slip through as he brought the tale to a close. Once he looked back up to meet the other boys’ eyes, he noticed that their anxious gazes hadn’t changed before they morphed into sympathetic smiles full of understanding. He knew that he had nothing to fear when they pulled him close and whispered that his past didn’t define who he was but just as Jisung had also said, he was not to slip back into that lifestyle again. Minho hadn’t yet told any of the others but knew that he would be able to in time with the help of the others. 

 

“I can’t say that I’ve really ever worn something this nice before. It’s nice to dress up every now and then.” 

 

Minho had accompanied Woojin, Changbin, Hyunjin and Jeongin to the stylists but only the Bard had decided to change his honey blond hair back to his natural, tawny shade of brown. While Minho thought that the lighter shade had always suited his hyung, he couldn’t deny that he looked rather handsome with his freshly dyed locks. The eldest had chosen a suit with a gray shade that was fixed by a belt around his waist. The silver shirt that fell beneath was complimented by a black tie and secured by a silver clasp that fell beneath the lapels of his jacket. After seeing Woojin sporting casual clothing for so long, Minho could proclaim with confidence that the other scrubbed up pretty well. 

 

“Changbinnie, are you and the others nearly ready to go? The others should be here soon.” 

 

“”We’re ready when you are, hyung.” 

 

The Medic attempted to fix Jeongin’s hair as one strand wouldn’t seem to sit back down with the rest. Changbin immediately knew what he wanted to wear as he entered the store, spotting the leather pants and black turtle neck on a mannequin ahead of him. He chose to accompany them with an intricately designed silken shirt and an overcoat with a shade of ash. Numerous chains dangled from around his neck and jangled as he became frustrated with the youngest’s hair. 

 

Jeongin couldn’t help but giggle as his hyung’s heightened anger but managed to hide his smile rather well. As soon as the others had laid eyes on it, they all jumped towards the dark shirt with beautiful, white stars scattered across it and knew that it was meant for the youngest to wear. It had been accompanied by a ebony jacket with velvet lapels which sported a small but dazzling brooch, with a set of trousers to match. 

 

While waiting for the others to finish their preparations and the other members to return, Hyunjin admired the work that those in the salon had done for him in the floor length mirror in front of him. He never remembered wearing makeup before but thought that it would be something that he would consider doing again in the future since he had to admit that it brought out the best in his features. Brushing his dark pants to eliminate any fluff, he carefully threw back the ends of his morning coat before adjusting the sparkling clasp on the collar of his rich, black shirt and securing the top button. He wanted to make sure that he looked his absolute best before he saw Seungmin again because he knew the Illusionist would come back looking even more fabulous than he usually did. 

 

Hearing the door creak open behind him, Changbin whipped around to see Felix, standing there and looking more angelic than he ever thought possible. 

 

“Wow, Binnie, you look great!” 

 

Changbin let his eyes scan the boy’s entire body, taking in every single detail that he could. While many of his members had leaned more towards darker shades for their clothing, Felix seemed to subconsciously glide towards brighter ones. A double breasted coat secured with silver buttons held a dark shade of blue on its body but was complemented by pure, white sleeves which matched the trousers that the Beast Master had picked out. A choker that tied in with the darker colour of his jacket was also securely wrapped around his neck. While Felix had saved the tint that Changbin had coloured his hair with, the boy seemed to want to make Changbin truly lose his mind when the Medic noticed faded emerald contact lenses in his eyes that were only amplified by the shimmering dangle earrings that fell from both his ears. 

 

“L-Lix, you- wow, I mean- your clothes- your hair- you just-”

 

“I really hope the ends of these sentences are good,” joked the red headed boy as he gently wrapped his arms around Changbin’s waist and tenderly pressed their lips together. 

 

“You look incredible, Lix. I mean, more so that you usually do.” 

 

Feeling two more enter the room, Hyunjin gaped at Seungmin and Chan as they stood awkwardly and waited for the reactions they knew were coming. Knowing the type of personality that Seungmin had, Hyunjin automatically knew that he wouldn’t want to wear anything too flashy but it didn’t matter to him, he thought he looked amazing in anything. A simple, crystalline cravat tie hung loosely from his neck and fell over an argentine, fitted jacket and slim fitting black trousers. He almost looked embarrassed as he played with the hair that fell over his eyes and the Alchemist knew that he was becoming self conscious about how he looked as all eyes fell upon him, expectantly awaiting Hyunjin’s thoughts on his outfit. Gliding over to the other, Hyunjin bent down a little to peck his already slightly tinted cheeks before giggling in the Illusionist’s ear. 

 

“Minnie, you look stunning. How do you manage to make something so simple look so mind blowing? You’ll have to teach me that secret.”

 

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Seungmin laughed, staring down at his glossy shoes, “But you’ve never really had a problem with that.” 

 

“Neither have you, Minnie. Can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to be yours.” 

  
Now  _ that  _ caused a very noticeable shiver to run through Seungmin’s entire body before he urgently pushed Hyunjin away as the Alchemist kept giggling at his embarrassed state. 

 

“Well, Woojinnie, what do you think? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to colour my hair but Lix kept insisting. Ah, you’re being awfully quiet. You don’t like the silver. I knew it. I didn’t know what colour to pick but Jisungie thought this would suit me. I know it’s a big change but I don’t think I’ll keep it like this for very-” 

 

“Channie, can you stop babbling and let me actually tell you what I think? You look wonderful.” 

 

Playing with the hoop earring that fell from the Knight’s ear, Woojin smiled fondly as he noticed the look of high expectations on Chan’s face. The boy self consciously pulled at his collar as he shied away from the intense gaze of the boy he loved. The structured, four button, knee length coat was a deep royal blue and contrasted beautifully to Chan’s newly dyed hair, which shimmered in a way that Woojin didn’t think possible. While he may be awfully biased, Woojin thought Chan was the most beautiful person in the room, as he usually did. 

 

“You look really handsome too, Woojinnie. God, I thought you were hot with blond hair but…” 

 

“Uh, Channie, might want to back up a little bit.” 

 

Chan immediately whipped his head around to see all eyes on him after he had grasped Woojin’s waist and began to pepper small kisses all over the Bard’s face. Wiggling eyebrows showed him that at no point in time would he ever be able to show affection towards the oldest boy without getting shit from the younger members. 

 

“Screw you guys,” Chan huffed, grabbing Woojin’s face between his fingertips and planting a rather forceful kiss on the other’s lips, earning him an audible groan from all of the other members. 

 

Craning his neck out the door, Minho patiently waited for the final member of their team to join them, anxiety always building up inside of him when Jisung was not with the rest of their team. 

 

“Was Jisung not with you guys? Is he coming?”

 

Noticing the Tracker becoming more worried about the Thief not being by their side, Seungmin chuckled before speaking. “Oh, he’s coming, hyung and just a heads up, you may want to brace yourself.” 

 

“I’m am absolutely terrified by your tone, Seungminnie. Brace myself? Why would I need to do that?” 

 

The Illusionist didn’t get to answer before Jisung came bouncing through the door, supporting the biggest grin on his face because he knew that he looked god damn amazing and judging by the look on Minho and the others’ faces, he had all the confirmation that he needed that his theory was indeed correct.

 

“Fuck…”

 

“Minho!”

 

“Woojinnie hyung, I’m not even going to apologise for that because that’s the only word that can accurately describe my thoughts right now. Fuck, Jisung.” 

 

The Thief let out a rather hearty giggle before twirling around on the spot to show off his rather shocking new look. Running his fingers through the locks that were dancing with a midnight blue, Jisung stared back at his friends with piercing, ice-blue eyes. A fitted, single button jacket closed around his waist and sparkled with glitter galore. Numerous earrings cupped his ears as dazzling rings graced his fingers. A unique chain fell across his black shirt but it couldn’t match the brightness of the boy’s smile, obviously wise to how amazing he looked. 

 

As everyone admired each other’s look, with Chan gushing over how adorable Jeongin looked, Minho made eventually made his way over to Jisung and simply stood there in awe. 

 

“You seem to like my new look, Min. Thought you might.”   
  


“Was it your intention to try and murder me? Jesus, Jisung, you don’t even look like the same person. Seungminnie told me to brace myself but I didn’t heed his advice well enough. You’re going to need to stand there for maybe another ten to fifteen minutes so I can just take all of this in.”

 

“Thought a new chapter in our lives required a whole new look. Really loving this colour in my hair though and it pretty much matches with your jacket. At least, this way, people will know that we’re a couple.” 

 

“Not to mention the fact that I will not be letting you out of my grasp for two seconds. You’re so adorable, can’t let anyone else think that they can have you,” Minho cooed as he pulled Jisung in by the waist and let a fluttering kiss fall atop the Thief’s nose, feeling the other’s heartbeat quicken at the sudden but welcome contact.  

 

Finally gathering their bearings and seeing the hands of the clock edge closer to the commencement time of the grand party, all of the boys walked out into the bracing evening air, viewing some of the guests dressed to the nines like themselves. Even those who weren’t invited to the ball seemed to be excited about the event, bright eyes and audible whispers surrounding the boys as they walked side by side towards the rather sizable mansion towards the outskirts of the dazzling city.  

 

As they walked up the driveway with numerous other people, Jeongin couldn’t help but gasp at the fantastically, gorgeous house that was lit up with a million lights to showcase how truly spectacular the mansion was. Music was already beginning to hit their ears as they hurried towards the front door but were stopped momentarily as they were searched for any dangerous items or weapons, making sure that they had also competed in the tournament to be allowed entry. While Minho had practically begged Chan to let him bring his Katana with him, the Knight knew that it would more than likely be the case that they weren’t going to let any of them in with weapons. Chan also made the point that if anything dubious were to happen, there were more than enough members on their team that could defend their members with their class abilities. Knowing a lost argument when he saw one and that Chan had a very valid point, Minho raised his hands in surrender and left his sword behind. 

 

“Um, excuse me?”

 

Hyunjin carefully whispered to the security officer that had finished checking him for any unauthorized items, causing the woman to look at him straight in the eye.  

 

“I was just wondering, is everyone who competed in the tournament being allowed entry to the ball?”

 

“The few teams that were disqualified for improper conduct are not being allowed through.” 

 

The Alchemist had asked the question due to the idea that had popped up in the back of his head earlier on in the day as he shopped for his new clothing, something that made his rage build up ever so slightly. Would Seunghyun be allowed to attend the party since he too had competed in the competition? He didn’t know what had happened to the man after he had almost killed Seungmin during the tournament and frankly, he never had reason to care but if everyone who had competed was allowed entry to Wooyoung’s house, then there could be a chance to see the man again and that couldn’t happen, not for any other reason except that if Hyunjin saw him again, he wouldn’t hesitate in killing him on the spot. However, after hearing the guard’s words, he relaxed slightly but began to wonder why he and Seungmin were being granted access since they too had been disqualified for improper conduct. 

 

“You don’t have to worry. Our boss told us to let you and your partner in since the only reason you were disqualified was because you were protecting your friend. You can enter without any problems. Enjoy your time here.”

 

With a thankful smile, Hyunjin nodded towards the woman before he dragged Seungmin by the hand and began to glide towards the door. Finally walking into the grand ballroom already filled with people, none of the boys could hold in their gasps as they took in the incredible scene around them. Glistening chandeliers hung from the ceiling, accompanied by intricately designed sconces that held numerous candles to light up the area. The tiled floor beneath them reflected the brilliance that came from the ceiling and called for the guests to dance upon it. Food galore lined the tables on either side of the hall, meeting at the staircase that led up to a closed off area, obviously off limits to those who did not live in this house. 

 

“Guys, the whole reason for this party is for those who competed in the tournament to have fun and that’s exactly what you should do but don’t forget that we have an underlying objective that we have to try and meet too. Keep an eye out for Wooyoung and see if we can convince him to talk to us,” Chan asserted, making sure all of them kept their eyes on the prize. 

 

All boys nodded, knowing that this was as much a mission as it was a relaxing evening for them. Until they set eyes on Wooyoung, they decided to disperse and enjoy themselves. Felix immediately dragged Chan and Jeongin over to the vast banquet table lined with mouthwatering food. None of the boys seemed to know what to go for first but the youngest took the plunge first by picking up a strawberry and dipping it into the gigantic chocolate fountain that rained milk chocolate from one side and white chocolate from the other. 

 

Jisung and Hyunjin desperately tried to pull their significant others onto the dancefloor but it seemed that there was absolutely nothing that they could do to get Minho or Seungmin to join them. Sighing overdramatically, Jisung admitted defeat and simply dragged Hyunjin to fall in with the other bodies that were dancing madly to the pop music that blared throughout the vast ballroom. The Illusionist quickly leaned against Minho, thankful that there was another who shared in his hatred for large social gatherings where activities like this were a part of it. 

 

“Hyung, I thought you loved dancing.”

 

“I do, Seungminnie but this is a very different sort environment to what I’m used to and this is really not the type of music I would ever dance to,” Minho snorted, shaking his head a little as he watched Jisung and Hyunjin holding hands and swaying rather violently to the bubbly, bright song raining from the ceiling. 

 

Further into the room, Woojin and Changbin stood side by side while conversing with the older group of boys before they heard the music slowly fade away until only the voices of the people around them filled the space. Everybody looking around them, their attention was immediately drawn towards a lone man at the top of the grand staircase, looking down upon all of the guests who had gathered in his home. Chan pulled everyone together as they stared back at the man, the one who they had come here to see and try to get some answers out of: Jang Wooyoung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of skz's outfits are something that they've worn to awards ceremonies and fifty points to anyone who can identify them from my terrible descriptions! Have a good week you guys!


	40. Waiting hurts, forgetting hurts but not knowing what to do is the worst kind of suffering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, ok, this is probably one of the most important chapters I've written so far, I think. There's quite a bit of explanation, a lot of explanation. God, there's probably way too much explanation. I'm sorry if it gets boring or confusing but if anyone has questions about anything, I can answer them for you! I'm weirdly nervous about putting this up too but anyways, I hope you guys will think it's ok! No more rambling. Enjoy!

All eyes focused in upon the man in the striking maroon suit that stood at the top of the staircase surrounded by five bodyguards. If Wooyoung had indeed gone into hiding because of what had happened between Gyujin and his adoptive family, he most certainly wasn’t taking any chances when it came to his safety as he came back into the world this time.

 

“Everyone, welcome and thank you so much for coming here on this most auspicious evening. I’m so glad that so many of you made it here tonight. My little speech will be kept short since I know most of you would rather be enjoying yourself rather than listening to me prattle on about nothing. Please, help yourself to the delicacies, get introduced to one another and dance the night away. I will be around all evening if anyone wishes to speak with me. Once again, thank you for coming. Enjoy!”

 

As much as they wanted to heed Wooyoung’s words, the group of friends had already expended the time that they had assigned themselves to have fun. They had all agreed that once Wooyoung appeared that they would focus in on their mission. They were going to try and get the man by himself so that they could have a conversation about what he possibly knew about Phantasm and those who were controlling it. However, this was made somewhat harder when he was constantly being surrounded by numerous guards that were watching all of the guests around him.

 

They split off into groups to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible; a group of nine boys walking around ominously trailing the host of the evening probably wouldn’t have looked all that low key. They wished to speak with the man but they didn’t want Jaebum and the others to catch on too quickly to what they were doing either. They had promised to be forthcoming with the elder boys if they ever needed help but once again, they didn’t want to get them too involved with their assignment in case they were to endanger themselves. Changbin was sure he would get far more than a stern talking to this time around but he was willing to take the chance if it kept his friends safe.

 

All boys spread out around the area, making sure to keep an eye on Wooyoung at all times as he traversed the area. None of them could seem to find an opening as there was always someone’s attention on the man with which they wished to speak.

 

Chan moved slowly in sync with Wooyoung as he moved further and further into the crowd, brushing off people’s shoulders since his attention was too occupied with his mission. For a brief moment, The Knight could no longer see the man, numerous guests preventing him from keeping his eyes trained upon him and began to push into the throng of people. When he found his way to where he assumed Wooyoung would be, the man was nowhere in sight, his bodyguards also disappearing from his view. Chan began to frantically search around him before he felt a slight pressure in the small of his back and a breath sweep past his ear.

  
“You’ve been following our boss around the area. You’re not as sly as you seem to think. He’d like to speak with you and your friends,” the woman whispered, obviously trying to avoid drawing attention to herself by the numerous other people around them by pressing the muzzle of the gun into the small of his back just that little bit harder to make him think twice about fighting back.

 

Despite the mild threat, Chan tried to protest, feeling like he had been unwillingly placed in the situation and lost control but once he saw all of his friends spread around the area with a gun also being placed to their back, he immediately complied by raising his hands slightly and slowly nodding his head. This was vastly different from the way he thought this portion of the evening was going to go, never imagining that Wooyoung would actually be the one to call on them to speak. Plastering a smile on his face to hide the inner turmoil about the troublesome situation that he was now in, Chan began to reunite with his members one by one, pulling on Seungmin’s hand when he fell by his side and nodding to Minho, who seemed more than a little pissed that he had been caught off guard by someone. They were ushered towards the restricted area that they had noticed earlier on in the evening and slowly climbed the stairs before they were met with a set of enormous, wooden doors. After the woman who had jammed her gun into Chan’s spine knocked on the door, all of them heard a soft ‘come in’ being murmured, a signal that the impromptu meeting was about to begin.

 

Walking into the library that held numerous shelves full of multicoloured books on countless subjects, all boys found their way to the comfortable couches that fell around the large, mahogany table that were positioned in the center in the room.

 

“Thank you for coming to speak with me. Though, by the way you were all following me around, it seems like you wanted this meeting to happen as much as I did,” Wooyoung stated, obviously thankful that the boys had come to him without putting up too much of a fight.

 

“Not like we were given much of a choice in the matter,” Chanbin muttered.

 

Chan simply nodded, making sure he could see all of the boys in his peripheral vision in case Wooyoung tried any funny business. The only thing that truly made him feel at ease was that the man had asked his bodyguards to wait outside the door. Should anything questionable happen, it would take them a few seconds to make their way into the room but that would give them all more than enough time to react and get themselves into a favourable position.

 

“I have a feeling that the reason you all came here tonight was not to simply enjoy yourselves at the ball I have prepared. You’re here for something more. I could tell by the looks on your faces. However, I sense that you do not wish me harm, you’re here to learn something that you think I can provide you with.”

 

A rigid and stressed silence followed, nobody daring to say anything, not wanting to give anything away too quickly. They wanted Wooyoung to show his cards before they revealed theirs. So, they sat quietly, not breaking eye contact with the man who didn’t seem to hold the same sort of bravado he had when he broadcast his message around all of Phantasm or welcomed them to his home. The hunched over form of Wooyoung showed vulnerability and anxiousness, clearly just as stressed as all the boys who huddled together as they faced him.

 

“I feel like you all know something about me that nobody else really does, that I’m not the same as everybody else, that I came in here of my own free will, right?”

 

Nine heads immediately snapped up, vision and focus zoning in on the man in front of them. They had been correct, Wooyoung was the same as the Parks and had entered Phantasm of his own volition. This was the link that they had been looking for, something that could lead them in a new direction and give them a fresh clue on how they could actually get out of this place. Chan took it upon himself to finally speak up for the group.

 

“So, we were correct. We’re not going to say how but we figured out that you might not be the same as everyone else in Phantasm. We thought you might know about those who created this place and perhaps even more information that we’re looking for.”

 

Wooyoung dipped his head, basically confirming what all of them thought from the very beginning, that he knew a lot more than he had ever let on.

 

“But you know, don’t you? You know about the people running this place,” Minho accused, his resentment towards the man sitting across from him not being veiled in any sort of manner.

 

It seemed as if Wooyoung was considering what he should say very carefully, knowing that, since he had told his guards to wait outside of the room, it would be over rather quickly if nine boys decided to attack him all at once. However, this was the reason he had invited everyone to his home on this night, to find those he could trust with his most imperative information.

 

“Yes, I know about them because I pretty much _am_ one of them.”

 

If there was any sort of camaraderie felt between the boys and the man who had allowed them into his home, it seemed to dissipate with the latter’s words. All froze up immediately with many holding onto each other so that they wouldn’t lash out as the anger surged up inside of them.

 

“You’re one of them? What the fuck does that even mean? Why the hell would you be in here with us if you were one of them?” Woojin snarled and it was obvious that the Bard had finally snapped upon hearing that the man in front of them was part of the reason that they had all been put in here against their will.

 

“Before you all jump to attack me, let me start by saying that I got screwed over like all of you did too. This is going to take a hell of a lot of explanation but if you can bear with me until the end, things might make more sense to you and you will be able to realise why it is that I’m revealing my identity to all of you. Can you agree to that?”

 

“Stop talking to us like little kids and start treating us like the group of adults who will kick your ass unless you tell us what the hell is going on here,” Chan threatened, not in the mood to play any games.

 

The night had started so well, they were here to have fun, to enjoy themselves like they knew they deserved and maybe get a little bit of information about the people running Phantasm from Wooyoung. However, this was not what they had been expecting; finding out that Wooyoung was actually part of the group of assholes that had put them in here was never part of the agenda.

 

“Alright then, I’ll begin by telling you exactly who we are and what this place is. My name really is Jang Wooyoung and I am part of the science and development division of the Seoul branch of the Eve Corporation.”

 

The large intake of breath that Minho sucked through his teeth was audible to all as they quickly whipped their heads around to look at him, wondering why that piece of information had meant something to him.

 

“You work for Eve?”

 

With a solemn nod, Wooyoung confirmed Minho’s query and the Tracker took yet another gulp of air, obviously failing to keep his emotions on the subject hidden.

 

“Min, you know what that is?”

 

“It’s a pretty influential government run company that deals in all sorts of matters: technology, biometrics, engineering, robotics and more that I’m not going to waste my time in listing off. I...I know because that’s who my father used to work for,” Minho muttered, though he knew that nobody but Jisung and his hyungs would understand why this information bothered him so much since he hadn’t managed to tell any of the others about his past yet. He immediately felt Woojin’s hand find his way to his own, giving the Tracker’s fingers a small but reassuring squeeze.

 

“I’ve heard about that place too, I actually used to pass by it on my way to school but it never really stood out to me,” explained Seungmin, wondering why Minho was having such an adverse reaction to hearing the name.

 

Everyone moved their gaze back to Wooyoung as the man sighed under the dim lighting of the room. “Yes, Minho, we know that he did.”

 

The Tracker’s brow furrowed as he stared questioningly at the man who he had never met before this very tense encounter. “How the hell do you know my name?”

 

It wouldn’t have come as a shock to him if he had addressed Jisung or Seungmin since both of the boys had competed in the tournament and their names had been mentioned numerous times during the course of the matches as they were broadcast around Phantasm but Minho had not been a part of it and it made no sense to him why Wooyoung would have known his name specifically.

 

“I know who you are and I know who your father was. Even though he was part of the Gimpo branch, when his death occurred, all of us were informed since he held such a high position in office. In fact, those of us in charge of certain divisions were also informed about how he died.”

 

Jisung’s head snapped up, glancing at the man whose head still hung low as he let some information that shouldn’t have been public knowledge go. He was unsure as to whether or not he actually knew how Minho’s father had died, the Tracker being more than sure that there wasn’t anyone who had found out since nobody had really ever come after him for the crime. However, the sadness in the man’s eyes gave Jisung the primal instinct that he wasn’t just making things up.

 

“Didn’t you ever find it strange that the police never found you? You were a kid who was trying to run from the law even though you had no money or skills to be able to do that. The higher ups managed to keep them off of your trail because, more than anything, they were thankful towards you.”

 

“Thankful towards me? Why the hell would they be thankful towards me?”

 

The atmosphere grew bitter as they awaited Wooyoung’s reply. While Woojin and Chan kept their gaze trained upon Wooyoung as they sat on either side of Jisung and Minho, the youngest members of the group stared at their hyungs, trying to gauge why the air had changed and the reason that they all felt like they were hearing about something that they shouldn’t know about. Seungmin began to wonder why on earth Minho had been trying to escape from the police if what Wooyoung was saying was true and by the looks on the faces of his friends, they didn’t seem to want to protest at the man’s words.

 

“You’re obviously not aware of this, Minho but you’re father was one of the original creators of Phantasm.”

 

The look of pure horror in Minho’s eyes made Jisung think that the elder was going to be sick, his forehead breaking out in a cold sweat as his nails began to pierce the supple skin on his palms.

 

“He worked with a lot of us but you know the kind of man your father was. It wasn’t particularly any different in the workspace. He was a tyrant, trying to dictate everything around him, constantly yelling at employees, throwing things at the wall out of frustration when his demands weren’t met, fighting with those who were even higher than him on the food chain. He tried to make the whole project live up to his ideals, completely ignoring and disregarding the ideas and thoughts of those who helped him to create this world. They couldn’t figure out a way to dismiss him without a big blow up so, they started a rumour about him embezzling money from the company. It wasn’t true but it gave them reason to fire your father from Eve.”

 

“So, that whole night was all your fault too,” Minho muttered, only being heard by the boys sitting around him and not the man on the other side of the table. The most nightmarish night of Minho’s life was attributed to the same people who had forced him inside of this game against his will and the bitterness and indignation was at boiling point within his chest. Only for Jisung’s powerful grip around his hand, Minho was sure he would have immediately lashed out.

 

It seemed to everyone that Wooyoung was trying to coat his words carefully, a sickening sweetness tinting the dark secrets that lay beneath the surface. Jeongin glanced at the eldest members of the group from the corner of his eye, getting the strangest feeling that they knew what weight the man’s words truly held, though they didn’t seem like they were going to relinquish what he meant.

 

“That’s why the higher ups were grateful that he was suddenly...not around anymore. I spent a short while in Gimpo and got to see what he was like first hand. Believe me, I understand.”

 

Seeing something snap within Minho, like a string that had been pulled taut before breaking under the pressure, Jisung could almost feel the other’s skin burn beneath his fingertips before he heard a snarl leaving through his clenched teeth.

 

“You _understand_? How the fuck could you possibly understand? You think you know who he was because he yelled at you a little bit? I bet he never beat the shit out of you to the point where you couldn’t stand up anymore. Don’t mind me though, you seem to know him a hell of a lot better than I do. Stay on track, keep telling us about the bastards that run this place.”

 

Woojin could feel the anger radiating from the Tracker through their linked fingers and tried his best to calm the boy down without making it too obvious. It seemed to work to some extent when Minho quickly dropped the subject, though the Bard wasn’t sure if this was because Minho truly wanted to know who those running Phantasm were or if it was because the numerous worried stares being thrown at him from those who were unaware of what Minho had suffered through in his youth.

 

“Right, right, that’s not where I wanted to go with this. You’re not what I was focusing on, you were never even meant to be in this place.”

 

“What does that mean?” Jisung questioned, placing his arm around Minho’s waist as they spoke about something so ominous, about people that sounded more like an abstract presence more than anything else.

 

“Phantasm was a project that we spent years upon years creating. Hell, it was being developed before I even joined the company and that was ten years ago. It was an idea created to allow people to escape from the banality of the regular world. A place where magic exists? Where you can forget about all of the troubles in the real world? Somewhere that you can be the master of your own destiny? Where people from all over the world can come into contact physically at a moments notice? Who wouldn’t want to try out something like that?”

 

“One would think that if someone wanted to enter this place that they would be allowed to make the choice though. None of us were ever asked if we wanted to be put in here. At least, that’s what all of us think anyways,” Chan chastised, knowing now that Wooyoung had chosen to enter of his own free will while none of them were ever given the option.

 

“ _That_ was supposed to be the idea. I don’t completely understand what the hell happened. When we were going to run the beta of this place, and that’s exactly what Phantasm is at the moment, a beta version, those in the Seoul division were asked if they wanted to volunteer to come and test it out. We were told we would have to stay here until they got the significant data that they needed to make sure that it was a place that they could constantly run without trouble. Our presence here was meant to point out any flaws that the game had.”

 

Feeling like they were getting closer and closer to discovering the underlying secrets that Phantasm held, nobody dared interrupt the slightly agitated man sitting in front of them with clasped fingers, nails somewhat digging themselves into the backs of his hands as he tried to remain calm.

 

“The Injection Initiative was a three year long project that would truly determine if Phantasm was ready to be released to the world. That’s how long we were going to try and stay in here without coming out. When people came in here that I didn’t recognise, that weren’t part of our company, I was more than a little confused. I began to hear rumours that they had not asked to be put in here and none of that made sense to me since it was such a closely guarded secret. Why would they allow strangers in here in the first place? A question that I still haven’t gotten an answer to by the way.”

 

While Wooyoung could have been lying to all of them about the details of the project, there was something in his voice, something in his eyes that made everyone sharing the space with him believe the story that was spilling from his mouth.

 

“If you’re looking for an answer, then why not ask for one? Surely there must be some way to talk to those who are running this place,” Jeongin quipped, clearly not caring that Wooyoung was significantly older than him when speaking to him without any formalities.

 

“You don’t think that I’ve tried? That’s where I got screwed over. The number one rule of this initiative was that we were not supposed to have contact with the outside world during our time here but all of us that came in here willingly were given a panic button in case there was ever a reason where we desperately needed to leave.”

 

“A panic button?”

 

“Yeah, it would alert nearby guards to come and help us since we would only ever use it in desperate situations but it would also alert those on the outside that we needed to leave and they would extract us. We knew that it would take a few minutes for them to get us out which is why they installed the guards to come and protect us until that time came and we thought it was a foolproof plan.”

 

“But it wasn’t,” Jisung whispered and after hearing about his past, everyone knew exactly what the Thief was referring to. The pleading of the woman who he could not save resounded in his ears, forcing him to momentarily slip back to the worst night of his life. _‘_ _Listen carefully to me, there is a panic button underneath the staircase. If you press it, then it will alert the guards stationed nearby that something is wrong. You can stop this. Please, I don’t want my children to endure any more of this.’_

 _  
_ Finally lifting his head to stare at Jisung, Wooyoung looked to be contemplative about the Thief’s words, making it obvious to everyone that while he knew what he was referring to, he didn’t seem to know that the Thief had been a part of that truly fear inducing night. Chan was more than thankful when Wooyoung didn’t push Jisung any further on the subject, trying to stay on track and keep focusing on the facts he was trying to sort out in his head.

 

“You all seem to know what I’m alluding to here. My friends were murdered, those I pretty much called my family and nothing was done about it. The button was pressed, of that I’m certain since the guards responded to it but it seemed like it was too late. One would think that it would be obvious what would happen next, right? Shut this place down and get everyone the hell out of here. As you can see, that’s not what happened. I’ve lost count of how many times I pressed that damn button but nothing has happened.”

 

Now they were all beginning to see the inner anger come to the fore when Wooyoung talked about his current situation. He was just as trapped in here as the rest of them were. His means of escape, the precautions that had been put in place to make sure he was safe had been pulled out from under him and that was causing a rather annoyed scowl to form upon his previously unchanged expression.

 

“I have no way of contacting those on the outside and after what happened to Hyunae and her family, I didn’t know what else to do. I was terrified by this place and just needed to escape. I locked myself in this house, sending other people out to get what I needed. I became slightly delirious, acutely anxious and paranoid since I was so certain that something similar would happen to me but I couldn’t keep hiding when we’re almost out of time.”

 

Chan looked to Woojin, trying to figure out exactly what the man had meant but didn’t get a chance to ponder any further when Felix took it upon himself to speak up, brows crinkled in a desperate attempt to understand.

 

“Out of time? What do you mean?”

 

“Like I said earlier, this is a three year project where we tested out the kinks that needed to be fixed before allowing people into Phantasm. Once that time was up, we were to be released because the beta of Phantasm is going to be shut down before starting all over again with all of the flaws erased. That idea seems to have been thrown out the window. All of you were never meant to be a part of this initiative but here you are. Well, it’s nearly been three years since the program began and I’m becoming uneasy with regards to what those on the outside plan to do with us once the time has elapsed.”

 

For the first time since they had entered Wooyoung’s home, a real sense of fear found its way to all of the boys’ hearts. The man’s trepidation spread throughout the room like a wave that came crashing down upon them and they began to understand what he had been trying to convey to them since his whole tale had begun.

 

“You...you think that they won’t let any of us out of here? That we’ll be left in here when Phantasm shuts down? Our minds will be effectively shut off too? It’s basically a death sentence,” Changbin stuttered, fearing that they had no way of escaping the possible situation that they could momentarily be placed in.

 

“I’m saying that it could be a possibility. Listen, you all know that you aren’t technically yourselves within the game. You’re mind is here but your physical bodies are not, even though it might feel like it. That’s because those who enter the game are hooked up to the Mainframe.”

 

Inquisitive heads tilted as Wooyoung explained and the man took a second before realising that they were all looking at him like that because they had no idea what the Mainframe was.

 

“The Mainframe is the machine that connects your physical bodies in the real world to the world of Phantasm. A state of the art headset placed around your eyes, hooked up to your muscles and nerves allows us to basically join your senses to this virtual world. It’s how you’re able to be yourselves in here, have your own thoughts, your own emotions and memories, how you are able to feel physical pain that you would feel if you were injured in the real world. To keep our physical bodies from deteriorating, the people maintaining the Mainframe inject those in here with a special serum that allows our bodies to stay in shape, even though we aren’t using them. It would have been pointless if we were in here for three years only to come back to the real world to find that we couldn’t move anymore. That’s what my division was in charge of, creating that serum. If we’re all still alive in here, that means our bodies are still in tact on the outside as well.”

 

That was a thought that had crossed Woojin’s mind when he spent many a sleepless night contemplating the numerous outcomes that could occur once and if they were ever freed from this place. He knew that since they were in a virtual reality game that the bodies they inhabited in this world were not the same ones that they held back home and contemplated how those controlling this place would keep their bodies from degenerating over time. Now, it seemed that they had their answers but it made Woojin a little skeptical about what exactly was in this ‘serum’ that they were being injected with but that wasn’t really what he should be focusing on right now.

 

“But how many of you are in here that shouldn’t have been? Thousands upon thousands of you. How are they going to let all of you go when you could possibly expose what they’ve been doing? I just...I have a terribly bad feeling that things won’t go the way that we hope when this comes to an end. In one month, Phantasm is going to be shut down but what is going to happen to us will be completely up in the air.”

 

“So, why exactly are you telling us all of this?” Jisung piped up, voice barely breaking the silence as he clasped Minho’s hand with a grip that could possibly be cutting off his circulation.

 

An uncomfortable quietness swirled around their ears, everyone awaiting Wooyoung’s reasoning for bringing them and everyone else into his home tonight. Chan could see something in his eyes though he couldn’t quite place what it was. Regret? Anxiousness? Trepidation? Sorrow? Whatever it was, it didn’t spell out anything good for them.

 

“He wants us to try and beat the game before we run out of time.”

 

It seemed that Wooyoung was just as surprised as the rest of them when Minho had managed to figure out why it was that he had invited the tournament winners to his abode. The whole point of the competition was to find the strongest people in Phantasm, so Wooyoung thought that amongst these people would be the ones who could possibly beat the game and get all of them out of here. However, he knew it would be a task in itself to try and convince anyone to do it since the Rautaja Fortress was deemed unbeatable. Nobody had made it out alive and if Wooyoung was being honest, he didn’t know what sort of secrets and mysteries were held within its walls either.

 

“I’m asking for you as much as I am for myself. We have about another month left until the time is up. I have a good feeling about all of you and I honestly think that you could be the ones to-”

 

“To fix your fucking mistake and save your sorry ass?”

 

“Minho…”

 

Woojin could see the Tracker immediately go on the defence, gazing at the man in front of him with such malice that it began to seep through his teeth and coat his words. He could completely understand why Minho was acting the way that he was. The man sitting in front of them was part of the reason that they had been put in here against their will, even if he ended up being in the exact same position as them and even though he may not have had a direct link to what happened with his father, he had known about far too personal things that he knew Minho would rather have kept to himself. He had said that normal people were never meant to be put in here and maybe there was truth to his words but at the moment, he was the only link that they had to those who had forced them inside and it seemed Minho knew that all too well.

 

“You want us to go to that Fortress and risk our lives because those on the outside may _possibly_ leave us in darkness after shut this place down? You realise that might not even happen? What if they release us instead? If we die while trying to take on the Fortress and then all of you are allowed to leave and live on, what then? Would you feel some sort of sympathy for sending a group of friends off to their untimely deaths?”

 

It now seemed that Changbin was hopping on the bandwagon and joining in Minho’s rage, making it hard for everyone else to breathe.

 

“The Rautaja Fortress was never even supposed to be a concept in the first place. When I came in here, my message that popped up never said anything about being unable to leave without going through the trials. Why they decided to factor that in, I don’t know. I’m not sure what other way around this there is. Only ten people can enter the Fortress at once and if I were to announce that we were out of time to everyone within Phantasm, there would be pandemonium and everyone would go mad. By telling you select few, I’m hoping that you can try and figure out a way to do what is right.”

 

“Do what’s right?” Hyunjin chuckled as he let his face fall into his awaiting hands, “Doing what’s right for who? What we should be focusing on is keeping each other safe at the moment. Like Changbin hyung said, you don’t even know if they are going to leave all of us in here.”

 

“But what if they do? You plan on letting those around you just fade into nothingness? Those you hold dear and love more than anything in the world? You think that it’s not worth the chance?”

 

Jumping up with fire in his eyes, the Alchemist looked like he was going to go on a rampage after Wooyoung had basically accused him of throwing away his friends because of his indecisiveness and inactivity. Before he could move towards the man, Hyunjin was slowly guided back down by Seungmin, the younger wrapping his hands around the other’s forearm and nuzzling into his neck, whispering reassurances that seemed to diffuse the tension and calm him.

 

“Why don’t you just try to beat it then?” Jeongin questioned, also trying to soothe Hyunjin’s anger as he gently grasped his hand.

 

“The whole point of the tournament was to find the strongest groups in Phantasm. Four people within your group of nine managed to make it so far and I think that you could have possibly won if certain problems hadn’t gotten in your way,” Wooyoung reasoned as he gestured to Hyunjin and Seungmin since he knew the reason they hadn’t made it to the final stages was because of the murderous attempt that had been made towards them. He didn’t, however, seem to know why Jisung and Changbin hadn’t competed in the final matches of the competition which showed the others that he was not privy to all information regarding people within Phantasm. He was just as clueless as everyone else when it came to personal topics that people shared.

 

“Thank you for all of the information, Wooyoung. We will take our leave now. We’ll discuss this between ourselves and make sure to think things over properly,” Chan answered before the tension in the room could surge to breaking point. The Knight stood and gestured for everyone to follow his lead before he motioned for all of them to leave the room, not allowing Wooyoung to say anymore on the subject to his friends. After everyone had exited, Chan slowly turned to the man still situated on the couch.

 

“You do realise what you’re asking of us, right?”

 

“I do and I’m sorry that I even have to ask. It’s something that I never thought would genuinely be a problem. I just...I didn’t know what else to do.”

 

Seeing the authentic regret in the older man’s eyes, Chan managed to solemnly nod his head before heading out to follow his friends. Walking past Wooyoung’s guards, Chan had the greatest feeling that none of them would be getting much sleep tonight. They wouldn’t be staying around to enjoy the rest of the night; rather, they felt like they didn’t really have the option to do that anymore.

 

* * *

 

“This is fucking ridiculous. It shouldn’t even be a subject we’re talking about!”

 

“Minho, calm down. There’s no point in getting so riled up about this, it won’t get us anywhere.”

 

The Tracker flopped down on the bed, raising his hands to cover his face before sighing heavily into them. He knew Woojin was right, letting everything that happened tonight get under his skin wasn’t going to aid him in any way but he couldn’t help it when he learned far more than he had bargained for earlier in the evening. All of the boys had retired to the inn, with Chan ordering the younger members to return to their bedrooms, which was met with little to no resistance. The Knight had allowed Minho and Changbin to remain as he sat next to Woojin so that they could try and figure out if there was some sort of meaning in all of the madness that they had been dropped into by Wooyoung and his worries. It seemed that nobody quite knew how to react as an extended silence went on for what felt like an eternity.

 

“What are we gonna do?” questioned Woojin, the boy drawing circular motions into Chan’s wrist to try and distract himself from the uncomfortable feeling of worry creeping around his neck and making him feel like he was being suffocated.

 

“What the hell do you mean what are we gonna do? We’re not going to do anything! There’s absolutely no proof that this place is going to be shut down anytime soon. There isn’t any evidence that Wooyoung was telling us the truth; he could have been falsifying so much information about this.”

 

“And do you think he was lying, Minho?”

 

The Tracker gritted his teeth, knowing that where his rage stemmed from had nothing to do with his friends and they should not be the recipient of his outlash. Attempting to control his quivering breaths, the boy glanced at Chan as he sternly returned his gaze and worried his lip between his teeth. If Minho was being honest with himself, even if he didn’t want to be, he actually did believe Wooyoung when he spoke about his knowledge on everything to do with Phantasm and the possible fate of the world they currently inhabited. The Tracker had not found any tremor in the man’s words, no meaningful little actions that would have been unnoticeable to anyone else, no telltale signs that he was being dishonest with them and that was making Minho even more enraged.

 

“No, hyung, I don’t think he was lying but like I said, even he doesn’t know for certain what the fate of this place is, he doesn’t know what our fates are. It was all just speculation.”

 

“I’m with Minho hyung on this. We can’t decide on something like this right away.”

 

“Changbin, what’s going to change between now and later on that will make this easier to decide upon? Like you said, we don’t know if this will happen but what if it does? Are we going to sit back and do nothing? Plus, neither of you can say that we trust anyone running this place. If I were to put money on it, I would bet that Wooyoung’s hunch was right. We need to fight back,” Woojin reasoned, almost pleading with the boys who couldn’t seem to see his point of view.

 

“Why?”  

 

Everyone glanced up at Minho as he whispered with heartache lacing his voice.

 

“Why do we always have to be the ones to fight back? Why is it always us that have to be put in danger? Why can’t somebody else take the bullet? There are so many other people in the world who are in the exact same position as us and yet we’re the ones who are once again being burdened with the task of ‘fighting back’. It’s not fair, not after all the shit we’ve already gone through.”

 

The look of desperation of Minho’s face made Chan’s heart plummet as the hush spread throughout the room. He was right, the Knight knew that he was but he couldn’t find it within himself to turn away from this predicament and let someone else deal with it. It was a part of his soul to try and help where he could but he wished that, in this particular instance, he could erase that part of himself.

 

Seeing the Knight’s head dip with his reasoning, Minho knew that his pleas hadn’t reached Chan’s heart. He knew the type of person the elder was and he wouldn’t change Chan’s kind and giving soul for the world since he had helped him through some of the hardest times in his life but he just couldn’t find it within himself to share in Chan’s sentiment at this particular moment.

  
“If you ask us to do this, then we will follow you, hyung. We won’t let you do it alone but please, _please_ think a little bit more about this. Don’t send all of our friends to their deaths without considering everything first.” Running a hand over his defeated expression, Minho tried not to get emotional about the thoughts of all of his members being dragged away from his grasp. “I’m done for the night, I’m gonna go back and spend some time with Jisung. We’ll have to discuss everything with them soon anyways. We can’t leave them out of the loop for much longer.”

 

The Tracker tiredly bowed towards his hyungs without another word and silently left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar since he knew the younger boy wouldn’t be far behind him in returning to his room.

 

“Minho hyung is...I agree with everything he said. It isn’t fair that we always have to be the one to endure hardship and pain. Why can’t we just be happy for once?”

 

Woojin gently caressed the back of the Medic’s neck, almost feeling the stress seeping through the younger boy’s skin. He didn’t know how to respond to the question because he truly didn’t know the answer. He too wished that they could forget about all of this, pretend like they had never heard Wooyoung’s reasoning and pleas but they had and couldn’t sit idly by. If they did nothing, so many people could lose their lives when they could have been the ones to save them. Trying to form a reasonable response, Woojin didn’t get time to vocalise his thoughts before Changbin spoke up again.

 

“It’s not fair that we have to do it but it’s also not fair to ask someone else to do it either. We will follow the both of you, no matter where you go and if the final destination is the Rautaja Fortress, then we will be there to fight at your sides, just like Minho hyung said.” Placing a comforting hand on Chan’s knee, Changbin threw one last smile towards Woojin before he followed Minho out the door, returning to the room he shared with Felix.

 

No comforting words came, no gentle touches or reassuring hugs, nothing to lighten the mood was found in the small space of the room that the eldest boys shared. All that surrounded them was deafening quietness and a sense of dread that invaded their chests.

 

“What are we going to do, Chan?”

 

“I don’t know, Woojin. I just...don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm back to my old self! Giving you all the angst you feared was coming! See you next week!


	41. Family is the compass that guides us. They are our comfort when we occasionally falter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This week, I bring you a weird mixture of angsty fluff. Hope you enjoy!

The uncertainty of the entire situation had made Minho snap. He knew that none of this was his friends’ fault, they weren’t the ones that had put all of them in here but they had been the recipient of his small but powerful outburst. Hell, he even came to the conclusion that none of this was even Wooyoung’s fault, even though he had most definitely let the man know that he wasn’t pleased with him. He had not only found out that the world that they inhabited  _ might  _ be coming to an end but managed to discover too many things about his past that suddenly started to make a hell of a lot of sense to him. Finding out that his father had played a vital role in the creation of Phantasm and was still torturing him even in death had made the Tracker’s blood surge to boiling point, his skin feeling like it was being set aflame. He couldn’t seem to escape his clutches no matter what he did.

 

Hanging his head in his hands as he made his way back towards his room, the Tracker didn’t want to dwell on his anger fueled thoughts any longer. He wanted allaying arms around him, the ones he was made to fit into, hushed whispers flittering past his ear to let him know that everything was going to be alright, eyes staring at him like they could see into his soul and read all of his secrets. He wanted Jisung. His hopes were probably sought in vain since he knew the younger boys had been sent to bed by Chan ages ago so the elder members could discuss what had been revealed them on this particular night. Minho assumed that the Thief would be snuggled up in his own bed, more than likely dreaming about eating copious amounts of sugary treats but once the Tracker walked through the door, he was met with a sight he certainly did not expect.

 

A very sleepy but still conscious Jisung was curled up under Minho’s sheets, completely disregarding his own bed that was still made from this morning. The Thief was humming a soft melody under his breath, though it seemed to be lulling him into an even sleepier state before he jolted slightly and readjusted himself. Nimble fingers playing with the loose ends of the covers, Jisung sighed tiredly and Minho thought that the younger boy was probably trying to stay awake until he came back to talk about everything that the elder members had discussed.

 

“Sunshine, you should be asleep. Why are you still up?” Minho breathed, never truly getting used to how adorable the Thief looked in his fluffy pajamas, especially with his new hair that was beginning to stick out in multiple directions.

 

“Was waiting for you to come back, didn’t wanna sleep alone tonight,” the younger slurred, propping himself up on his elbows and rubbing the back of his hands across his drooping eyes, doing nothing to stifle the sizable yawn leaving his mouth.

 

Fawning over the Thief but still holding a lot of discomfort in his chest, Minho quickly changed into more comfortable clothing before hopping into his bed beside the other.

 

“What did you guys talk about?”

 

“Not much. It was just a lot of me yelling to be honest. We’re just not quite sure what to do.”

 

Seeing the Thief losing his fight against the dreams that were calling to him as he nodded slightly, Minho gently swept away a couple of loose strands of hair that had fallen into the Thief’s eyes.

 

“I don’t wanna lose you again.”

 

Eyes immediately widening at Minho’s pain coated whispers, Jisung could see the inner turmoil ripping its way around the elder’s body, making his eyes glisten with tears that refused to let themselves be free.

 

“You won’t lose me, Min.”

 

“If what Wooyoung said is true, then there are only two ways out of this: we wait and do nothing and end up as another statistic and fade to nothingness along with everyone else in Phantasm or we go to the Fortress and try to beat something that has killed so many people before us. I just don’t see a favorable way out of this.”   


The vulnerability that Minho was showing was not something that Jisung got to experience very often. When he had inevitably found out who the Tracker really was, when Minho had confessed his very true feelings to him back in Ourlo, when he had finally revealed his past; those were the times where Jisung saw who the other boy truly was beneath the indestructible exterior.

 

“I’m scared, Jisung.”

 

The Thief immediately shimmied from underneath the covers where Minho tightly clasped his hand in his own. He leant against the headboard and pulled the elder close, letting Minho fall on his chest as he rested his chin upon the Tracker’s head. Jisung felt a trembling arm drape across his waist as Minho sought comfort and edged closer to the younger boy.

 

“We’ll figure this out, Min. Don’t worry, I’m here, ok? You won’t lose me, no matter what.”

 

“You think life will ever give the two of us a break?”

 

“Nah, probably not. I mean, I don’t think I’d be able to function properly if there wasn’t some sort of depressing secret or terrifying possibility hanging over my head. We must have done something really horrible in our past life to deserve all of this crap.”

 

“Wouldn’t surprise me if we did that horrible thing together to be honest.”

 

“What do you think it was? Murder? Attempted robbery? Making a cute animal upset? Endless possibilities!”

 

Minho let his worry bleed through and evaporate as he felt the calming vibrations of Jisung’s giggles emanating from his chest. He wondered what it was within Jisung that allowed him to override his worries with a few simple words, making him feel better without having to do anything special. Minho thought his mind comparable to a broken record, always coming back to the terrifying possibility that they could all disappear together in a few weeks but Jisung allowed him some respite, momentarily brushing away the clouds of doubt that were smothering him. Nestling into Jisung’s affection, Minho allowed himself to drift off as the Thief ran his fingers through his silky locks.

 

Flicking off the bedside light as he tried not to jostle Minho around too much as he slept, Jisung breathed heavily and felt that he needed to pull the elder just that little bit closer to let him know that he was safe. For all of the times that Minho had comforted him in his time of need, Jisung was glad that he was finally able to return the favour, even if he was just as worried about their fates as the boy he loved was. He would have to wait until the morning to sit down with the rest of his members and discuss what they all planned to do. Though, he was unsure how they could possibly come to a conclusion which they were all content on seeing through. Deciding not to dwell on it any longer, he let his head fall backwards onto the pillow and allowed sleep to finally drag him away.

 

* * *

 

Staring up at the beamed ceiling, Jeongin patiently awaited the signal of the little light he had sent out, for it to bounce up in front of his eyes as he pulled his covers up to meet his chin. Felix had asked if he wanted to sleep in the room he was sharing with Changbin tonight since he knew the youngest member had rented one out by himself but Jeongin politely declined and let his hyung know that he was alright to sleep by himself, even if he could see the doubt of his statement flare up in the Beast Master’s eyes.

 

This whole night had been a rather spectacular mess in the Necromancer’s opinion but he was usually of the mindset that there was no point in being pessimistic about a situation when there was always something you could do about it, no matter how much you wanted to give in. It didn’t stop the slight fear tickling the back of his neck, creeping up and trying to enter his thoughts. Would they really be erased along with Phantasm? Would he lose all of his friends? Would he never be able to get out of this place and live the rest of his life? Before he could conjure up any more discouraging ideas, his wisp popped up before settling in his outstretched hand.

 

_ “You seem to have this fascination with waking me up just after I’ve fallen asleep. You’ve got to quit that!” _

 

Jeongin felt like he could breathe again hearing Yedam’s voice, ignoring the slightly irritated tone glazing the boy’s words, knowing it held no true animosity behind it. He just wanted to speak to someone about anything other than the events of tonight.

 

“Sorry, Yedamie. I won’t do it again.”

 

_ “Jeongin? What’s the matter?” _

 

Wondering how Yedam could have possibly deciphered that something had gone amiss when he tried so hard to mask his feelings, Jeongin cleared his throat and attempted to compose himself even further.

 

“Nothing’s wrong, Yedam.”

 

_ “Bullshit there isn’t. I can tell. There was a lull in your voice when you spoke, that means that you’re lying. What happened? Is there a reason you don’t wanna tell me?” _

 

Jeongin now understood why the game had assigned Yedam to be his soulmate, just as Joomi had said. He had been certain that there had been no faltering in his voice, no trembling that might have alerted Yedam that he had just learned about the destiny of Phantasm, yet, he had picked up on just that. While he had sent the wisp out to Yedam to escape the events of this evening, he also wanted some reassurance on the subject. On the other hand, he didn’t particularly want to burden the younger Necromancer with a problem that he knew Chan probably wouldn’t let him help out with if they decided to go and try to beat the Fortress.

  
“How about you tell me all of your news first, Yedamie and afterwards, I’ll consider telling you what’s been happening over here?”

 

A beat of silence and Jeongin could already hear the wheels in Yedam’s head begin to turn to see if this compromise would suit him.

 

_ “Alright then, I suppose. I do have some rather interesting news! So, you know how I was telling you about more and more people coming to stay with me since you guys left? I actually had to hire people to come to help me. It was really weird, they both came into town to see if they could find work, even though it would make more sense to go to a bigger city but they said that they preferred to work in a smaller environment. They’re really nice and super helpful; I think you would get along great with them. I-” _

 

“Names, Yedam, you haven’t told me their names yet,” Jeongin chuckled, begging the younger boy to take a breath and not collapse from lack of oxygen reaching his lungs.

 

_ “Oh, right. Hyunsuk hyung started working at reception, doing the meet and greet for those staying here. He’s a lot more socially outgoing that I would be so he’s perfect for the job. Junkyu hyung is a fantastically great chef so he took over the kitchen, pretty much the second he stepped in the door actually, saying that he couldn’t believe that a place like that was going to waste at the hands of a kid like me,”  _ Yedam huffed, obviously annoyed that he was constantly being surrounded by older people and would probably be forever seen as the baby that he didn’t think he was.

 

Feeling a hell of a lot more at ease since he had returned to the inn with the other members, Jeongin relaxed and continued to listen to Yedam ramble on about his new friends that apparently loved skinship a little too much and constantly kept him on his feet. He mentioned that they stayed at the inn with him and insisted on eating dinner together every night. While he was a little thankful for more companions, he also complained that any sort of peace and tranquility that had encased his inn was now well and truly gone since Hyunsuk and Junkyu were most definitely two of the loudest people he had ever met.

 

_ “They said that they thoroughly enjoyed working here, that it held just the right amount of serenity for them. Told me not to worry and that they wouldn’t be leaving me, no matter how long this damn game dragged on for.” _

 

Jeongin’s breath hitched at that and he prayed that the younger boy hadn’t noticed but then again, it seemed that he wasn’t able to hide anything from Yedam, no matter how hard he tried.

 

_ “So, are you finally gonna tell me why you’ve been pretty much silent this entire time? The Jeongin I know would have interrupted me at least ten times during my story but you only did it once. Plus, I expected to have another three or four insults thrown my way too.” _

 

Pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to gauge how angry Chan would be for telling Yedam about the possibility of their world ending, Jeongin knew, or rather, felt that he couldn’t keep something like this from Yedam. On their way back from Wooyoung’s house, the eldest members had voiced their want to keep this secret between themselves since they knew Wooyoung had been right in saying that if too many people knew about it, it could cause absolute anarchy. They had also decided to reluctantly keep the secret from Jaebum and the others, knowing that they would eat them alive if they knew that they were withholding this kind of information. Having passed them as they left the party early, Chan had mentioned that Jisung wasn’t feeling too well and that they would be heading back to their lodging. They nodded sympathetically towards the boy, assuming that it was residual pain from what he had endured whilst they were apart. Jeongin could see it in all of his friends faces that they hated lying to them after everything they had already done for them but it was something that they needed to keep guarded for the time being. Jeongin would be going against his hyungs’ wishes if he told Yedam but when he heard the younger boy call out his name once again, he couldn’t keep it in.

 

“Yedamie, I wanna tell you but I’m afraid that I’ll scare you or make you panic and that isn’t something that I want to do.”

 

_ “Oh? Why? It’s not about you, is it? You’re not sick or injured, are you? You’d better not die on me, old man. Jeongin, you are ok, right?!” _

 

“I’m fine, Yedam! Jeez, talk about an overreaction,” Jeongin insisted, trying to deflect the boy’s worried words away. “If you really want me to tell you, then I will but you can’t let anybody else know, alright? Only my group and you can know about this, so I’m going to trust you to try and keep calm.”

 

_ “Yeah, yeah, just tell me why you’re upset already. I don’t like hearing your voice like this.” _

 

Jeongin finally delved into his memories of the party, letting Yedam know about everything magical that had happened during the ball with his friends before they had been taken from their happiness by Wooyoung’s voice welcoming them to the party. Trying not to sound too dramatic, Jeongin quickly went on to tell the younger boy about how they had been silently dragged away by the man’s guards before being taken upstairs to his study. It took another twenty minutes of explaining to get Yedam up to speed about Phantasm’s fate and how they could all be trapped in the soon to be extinguished world, their minds effectively being shut down and erased from the system.

 

_ “So, what you’re saying is that we have about another four weeks before we’re all dead?” _

 

Jeongin nodded, momentarily forgetting that Yedam couldn’t see him before he responded with a barely audible ‘yeah’.

 

_ “Well, fuck…” _

 

“Tell me about it.”    


_ “What are you guys planning to do then? You’re not going to go to the Rautaja Fortress, right? Not when it’s killed so many people before. Chan hyung wouldn’t let all of you do that. Please, Jeongin. Please tell me that you’re not going to go to that place.” _ _   
_

__

He didn’t quite know how to reply to the other but Jeongin did his best to reassure Yedam when he heard a slight waver in the boy’s voice at the thought of him losing his friends.

 

“We don’t know what we’re doing yet, Yedamie. The elder members were discussing what to do but they sent all of us to our rooms so I didn’t get to participate in the conversation. I’ll let you know the outcome though.”   


 

_ “Yeah, of course, make sure to keep me up to date. Be safe, Jeongin. You wanna keep talking for a little while? We don’t have to discuss what happened tonight. I can tell you more of my stories from here if you want.” _

 

Feeling a small smile form on his face, Jeongin slipped his fingers across the tip of the flames that radiated from his wisp. He was rather glad for Yedam’s maturity and clear headedness in a situation like this; it was just what he needed.

 

“Yeah, Yedamie, thanks. I would really like that.”

 

The boys conversed for another hour and a half, with Jeongin remaining silent for a good portion of the time as he allowed himself to simply delight in the pure excitement and fervor in Yedam’s voice when he talked about his new comrades, his improved relationship with the townspeople and his overall improved quality of life since he had met Jeongin and the other boys.

 

Finally bidding each other good night, with Yedam telling him that he hoped that he had made Jeongin feel a little bit better, which he had, the boys sent their wisps away, back to the other side. Jeongin was becoming more and more comfortable in sending his wisps to Yedam. He now felt able to extend the time they stayed since he didn’t feel the exhaustion he had when he had sent them out in the first place. He allowed himself to relax, collapsing into his pillows as he let the memory of Yedam’s animated voice to soothe him to sleep like a lullaby.

 

* * *

 

Hyunjin hadn’t been all that thrilled about being sent away from the conversation that could ultimately decide their end. Changbin had been allowed to stay, so why wasn’t he? Seven months wasn’t that much of a difference in age that he had to be treated like a child and be sent back to his room while the adults talked. In all honesty, he wasn’t mad at his hyungs, he actually wished for them to surround him right now in order to distract him. He didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts because he knew that the moment he was, they were going to pretty much eat away at him, quickly and painfully.

 

Walking down the long, shadowless hallway, the Alchemist felt that troublesome dread flourishing within his chest. Hyunjin liked to think himself an amiable person, one that always managed to keep a smile on his face to lighten his burdens as well as those of others around him. Anxiety wasn’t a common feeling to him but when it did manage to hit him, it came hard and fast. His lungs tightening in an incredibly uncomfortable fashion, he could feel his hand begin to tremble as it was tightly encased in Seungmin’s, the younger boy leading them back to their shared bedroom.

 

Both of them had barely managed to make it into the room before Hyunjin felt his heart rate pick up considerably, the thoughts of everything around him disappearing into nothingness too much for his mind to handle. Was he really going to lose everything that he cared about because some asshole in the real world didn’t want to get in trouble after everything they had put them through? Those bastards would rip all of them away from each other and he could do nothing to stop it. Funnily enough, Hyunjin didn’t even linger on the thought of his own life ending for too long but the idea of the others not getting to live out theirs to their full potential, Seungmin’s light disappearing from the world made him freeze in place, pulling on the younger boy’s hand without being able to stop himself.

 

“Jinnie? Wh-”

 

At the sight of Hyunjin beginning to hyperventilate in the doorway, Seungmin quickly pulled him inside and shut the door. Even when he was in this state, Seungmin knew that the elder wouldn’t want his friends to see him like this, breaking underneath the pressure. That wasn’t the Hyunjin he wanted them to know, so Seungmin was going to protect him as much as he could. Before the Alchemist’s legs could give out from under him due to the panic attack he was having, Seungmin gently guided him to sit down on the edge of his bed, cupping his cheeks and brushing the bangs away from his eyes so he could lock his own with the trembling boy’s.

 

“Jinnie, please, just breathe for me, ok?”

 

Seungmin had to admit, he had never dealt with someone who was having a panic attack, never even having one himself before, so he wasn’t entirely sure how to approach the situation. Hyunjin was a lot more versed in things like this since Felix’s phobia had pretty much forced him to be able to guide his friend through the terrible assault on his body. Seungmin figured he could quickly sprint down the hallway and ask Felix what Hyunjin would have usually done for him.

 

“Jinnie, I’m going to go and get Lix, alright? He’ll be able to help you.”

 

However, when he stood up and made a motion to leave, he immediately felt a restrictive grasp on his wrist, one that pretty much conveyed the distressed message from its owner. Glancing downwards, he looked into Hyunjin’s truly terrified eyes and knew that he could not leave the boy’s side, his thoughts being made more prominent by his heart wrenching pleas.

 

“Minnie, p-please, don’t leave me. I-I don’t wanna be alone. I can’t b-be by myself. I don’t want to. Please, please, please...” Hyunjin got visibly more upset, placing a hand over his heart and begging it to rest when it felt like it was pretty much going to jump from his chest.

 

Quickly settling himself beside Hyunjin, Seungmin assured him that he wasn’t going anywhere, he would be staying right here beside him, like he always would. He didn’t know if he should be giving Hyunjin some space or not but he decidedly pulled him close with a loose grip, allowing the Alchemist to rest his head on his shoulder and turn into the crook of his neck. Ghosts of Hyunjin’s breath tickled his skin and now that they were practically meshed together, he could feel the other’s heart thumping in his chest, a shaky hand clutching to his shirt in an attempt to ground himself. Whatever Seungmin didn’t know about panic attacks, he was thankful that he knew Hyunjin more than anyone else and quickly thought of what he needed to say.

 

“Jinnie, you can get through this. Concentrate on breathing and stay here with me. Don’t think about anything else, it’s just the two of us here now. I’ve got you and I will never let you go. What do you need me to do for you?”

 

Even if it was just a fraction, Hyunjin’s breathing seemed to decrease just a little bit as Seungmin’s soothing words were whispered into his ear, lips caressing him with light sighs. The Illusionist thought he wasn’t going to get an answer for a moment, Hyunjin’s harsh panting being the only thing filling the room but the small murmur that left the other’s mouth raised his hopes a little.  

 

“Sing.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“S-sing for me. Please, Minnie.”

 

Looking a little shocked at the request, Seungmin glanced at the boy questioningly, wondering why he would ask something like that when he had never even heard him sing before. It suddenly came rushing back to him, that night in Morthan after their first fight when he had practically run to the Outlook above the city when he was desperately praying that Hyunjin would come back to him so that he could apologise about not living up to his expectations in the tournament and as his friend. He was lost in the moment, looking to the numerous stars above when he let a melody fall from his mouth, one that he had been constantly listening to before he had entered Phantasm. It had always been a coping mechanism of sorts, one that let him breathe for a moment but as he sang, he never noticed Hyunjin sneaking up on him before the Alchemist’s voice had interrupted him, so much so that he had nearly fallen off of the edge of the cliff before supportive hands caught him, as they always had since then. He remembered how Hyunjin had complimented him on his voice, saying how pretty it was and that he should sing more often. He had never sang for anyone but his family before, always thinking that they had only said he was good because, well, they were required to say that since they were his family and that’s what you tell a child when they say that they’ll perform a song they learned in school for you. Hyunjin, however, had caught him off guard as he sang his heart out into the cool, evening air and though it may have only been a way to try and reconcile with him, Seungmin could practically feel the sincerity coating his compliment.

 

Softening as he took one of Hyunjin’s quivering hands in his as the other remained firmly locked onto the front of his shirt, Seungmin placed a comforting arm around his waist and rested his head on the elder’s wavy locks.

 

“Any song in particular?”

 

Hyunjin shook his head as Seungmin began to feel a wetness on the side of his neck, small hiccups falling slowly, letting him know that he should pick one rather hastily before the other could get any more upset. The Illusionist racked his brains to think of the perfect tune, something that would soothe Hyunjin’s troubles, to let him know that everything would be alright before one of his favourites popped into his head. Reassuring him with a few more comforting words before beginning, Seungmin began to hum the opening melody before diving straight into the lyrics.

 

_ ‘Never was an early riser, used to bein' up all-nighter, _

_ Never saw the mornin' light quite like I do now, _

_ Never said no to a party, never started savin' money, _

_ But everything is different since you've been around.’ _

 

Hyunjin had to admit that he had never heard this song before but it was exceedingly calming, especially when it was Seungmin singing it in a voice that he could only compare to an angel’s. Why the younger decided to keep a talent like this hidden was beyond him but when he thought about it, when he was the only one that got to hear it, it did make him feel rather special. Being so caught up in the silvery tone, Hyunjin didn’t seem to realise that his breathing was beginning to diminish in pace, making Seungmin smirk a little bit as he continued.

 

_ ‘It's the way you're smilin' at me, it's in the way you hold my hand, _

_ It's the way I've watched you change me from a boy into a man, _

_ It's a million things about you, and I don't  know what it is, _

_ But I have never known a love like this.’ _

 

Tears slowly ceasing, Hyunjin couldn’t help but open his eyes, his head still nestled into Seungmin’s neck as the boy gently hummed between the words. Listening to the lyrics that the Illusionist had decidedly chosen to sing for him, he felt his heart still beating at a speed that felt incredibly unnatural but it didn’t seem to be fear making it go so fast anymore but the pure, honey filled words falling from Seungmin’s lips.

 

_ ‘Never used to get excited to sit here in the silence, _

_ Holdin' on to somethin' the way I'm holdin' you, _

_ Didn't used to know how fast time walks and runs and flies by, _

_ I never thought I'd feel so deeply, but damn, I do.’ _

 

_ ‘It's the way you're smilin' at me, it's in the way you hold my hand, _

_ It's the way I've watched you change me from a boy into a man, _

_ It's a million things about you, and I don't know what it is, _

_ But I have never known a love like this.’ _

 

Hearing Hyunjin beginning to hum along with him, Seungmin felt that he had finally done something right in trying to get the other back to his normal self, to forget about the depressing and anxiety inducing thoughts that had followed him back from such a disastrous evening in which they had all shared. The fist that had latched onto the front of Seungmin’s shirt had now fallen onto his thigh but he kept Hyunjin’s other tightly clasped in his own as he began to bring his song to a close.  

 

_ ‘It's funny how everything I dreamed about, _

_ Starts to seem so empty without you.’ _

 

_ ‘It's the way you're smilin' at me, it's in the way you hold my hand, _

_ It's the way I've watched you change me from a boy into a man, _

_ It's a million things about you, and I don't know what it is, _

_ But I have never known a love like this.’ _

 

_ ‘I have never known a love like this.’ _

 

They sat in silence for a little while longer but it was a quietness that let Seungmin know he had managed to complete what he set out to do, something he wasn’t sure he could handle by himself. Moon slightly illuminating the room as they sat in the darkness that the night provided, Seungmin simply swayed gently with the boy still in his arms, wishing that a moment like this would never come to an end. After another minute had passed, Hyunjin’s breathing had become so shallow that Seungmin had wondered if he had nodded off but the thumb gently swiping off of his knuckles let him know that Hyunjin was still with him.

 

“You feeling a bit better?”

 

A simple nod made Seungmin happier than it should have as he gently raised his head, slowly followed by Hyunjin’s, the elder still sniffling slightly and swiping at his eyes to erase the residual tears that hadn’t managed to break through because of Seungmin’s beautiful distraction.

 

“Yeah, thank you. Sorry, Minnie, that was such an overreaction, I didn’t mean to make you do something you hate so much. I know you only like to sing when you’re alone.”

 

Grasping Hyunjin’s chin between his fingertips, Seungmin tilted his head up before joining their lips. The Alchemist couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed because, even if the Seungmin didn’t realise it, this was the first time he had initiated a kiss between them. Sure, he had pecked his cheek or caressed his forehead with his lips but this was entirely different. Hyunjin had constantly worried that he was being too forward, kissing and cuddling the other whenever he got a chance when Seungmin really only ever made a move to hold hands in public or snuggle into him when they were alone. It was pretty obvious that Seungmin wasn’t that into public displays of affection but Hyunjin craved it; he wanted everyone to know that he belonged to the Illusionist. It seemed that all of his trepidation was unneeded when their lips moved slowly against each other, a softness so deep and meaningful that Hyunjin couldn’t help but get lost in the moment. The kiss could have lasted seconds, minutes or hours and he wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. All he knew was that the person he needed the most in the world, the person he loved most in the world was here for him as he knew he always would be. Finally separating, Seungmin cocked an eyebrow as he began to giggle.

 

“Didn’t you listen to a single word I just sang? There’s no need to apologise for something like this, Jinnie. I will do absolutely anything for you. I will be here for you through the good times and the bad, at your best and at your worst and you can rely and lean on me because I know that you’ll do the same for me. I’ll love you forever, that I promise you. I’m always here for you. Always.”

 

That night, Hyunjin fell asleep in comforting arms, no longer having the frightening thoughts about their future coming to attack him. There was only one thought that occupied his mind while he listened to a beautiful tune surrounding him, slipping slowly away from reality and that thought was how incredibly lucky he was to have fallen for someone as sweet and beautiful as Kim Seungmin.

 

* * *

 

Changbin really didn’t appreciate being awoken when he was possibly in the most comfortable sleeping position he had ever been in, the heat surrounding him making him feel secure and guarded. Feeling the flick of a finger on his forehead, the Medic recoiled a little and scrunched up his nose but didn’t move his arms that were securely locked around Felix’s waist. The younger boy’s back met with his chest as he felt the Beast Master’s soft breaths slowly fall from his mouth, the boy remaining sound asleep despite the new presence in their room.

 

“Hyung, time to get up. Channie hyung and Woojinnie hyung want to talk with all of us,” Hyunjin whispered, not wanting to startle Felix awake, knowing that particular method would result in a lot of moaning and complaining later on.

 

With a quick glance at the Alchemist, it seemed to Changbin that the younger boy had been crying, his eyes rather swollen and tinted but it seemed he had nothing to worry about judging by the luminous smile covering his face; he quickly attributed the reason for that look to Seungmin.

 

The Medic nodded with an affirmative grunt to tell Hyunjin that he would follow him in a few minutes after he managed to come a little further into the world of the living and stir Felix from his slumber. He was thankful that it was the Alchemist that had come to wake them when he heard the door click closed once again, knowing that if it had been Woojin or Jisung, he wouldn’t have been able to take another few well needed minutes to truly wake up.

 

Brushing the sleep from his eyes as he took in the rather well lit room, Changbin assumed that he must have slept in a little later than he usually did but attributed that to how cozy and relaxed Felix’s small, bundled up frame made him feel. Sweeping the mess of hair out of the other’s eyes, Changbin maneuvered himself a little to place a feather light kiss behind Felix’s ear, grinning when the boy let out a content sigh and turned around to snuggle into Changbin’s chest, regardless of the fact that one of the elder’s arms were still securely set around his middle.

 

After returning from his rather tense talk with the elder members, Changbin had trudged back to his shared room with Felix, thinking he was about to have another rather deep conversation which he really didn’t have the strength for if he was being honest. Instead, he walked into a pitch black room, the light from the hallway being the only way that Changbin could see the small hunched form under a pile of blankets. He carefully slipped off his shoes as he closed the door as silently as he could before pulling off his jacket and jeans and dressing in his pajamas. He almost reached his bed and began to pull up the covers before he heard small sniffles coming from the other side of the room, realising that Felix wasn’t asleep as he had first believed.

 

Sighing with tender understanding, Changbin traversed to the other bed, feeling the mattress dip underneath him before immediately attaching himself to the other boy like a koala. Changbin noticed Felix snuggling into something, quickly deciphering that it was his newly acquired munchlax plushie that he hadn’t realised had been missing from his own bed. Hearing a few more inhales of shaky breath, Changbin felt his hand being taken by another, interlacing their fingers until his palm was resting on the younger boy’s stomach as they lay on their sides.

 

“Lix, don’t worry. We’ll find a way to deal with this. Nothing will tear us apart, not from each other, not from our friends. We’ll be alright. No need to get upset, ok?”

 

Feeling the head beneath his chin nod ever so slightly, Changbin used his free hand to tilt Felix’s head back a bit and leave a fragile kiss upon the other’s jaw, trying to make him feel at ease and relaxed as he nuzzled into the boy’s neck and left out a weighted sigh. Nothing more was said between the two as they fell from consciousness, holding on tight as if they would be taken away from each other in the dead of night.

 

“Lix, it’s time to get up. We need to go and talk to the others.”

 

Changbin had to try his hardest to stifle a laugh when he felt Felix’s nose brush across his chest, the boy shaking his head to show that he most definitely did not want to leave the warmth that had been trapped between them.

 

“Come on, Lix, behave.”

 

Yelping as he nursed his newly marked ear, Felix looked disbelievingly at the smug boy in front of him. “Ow! Did you just fucking bite me, Seo Changbin? You absolute animal!”  

 

“You were asking for it. Huh, maybe that’s why you were so drawn to me from the beginning. Being a Beast Master, you thought you might be able to tame me.”

 

“Do you have a sort of manual you go to for these embarrassing, cheesy lines? God, I cannot deal with you.”

 

Pulling Felix flush against his body, Changbin let out a loud giggle into the red locks of the other as Felix struggled to get free. He eventually let him go and watched as the younger boy got up and began to get dressed as he leant on his elbow, not planning on moving for the next few minutes.

 

As Felix pulled his shirt off over his head, Changbin’s eyes were immediately drawn to the scar just above his heart, the small sign of how the two of them had met and how the Medic had saved Felix from certain death. Changbin would never forget that day, never allow himself to because it was a staunch reminder that he should always be there to protect Felix when he needed him. There were times when Felix became self conscious about the mark, trying to cover it up with delicately small fingers when he thought it was a blemish on his otherwise unmarked body but Changbin had lost count of the times where he would wrap his arms around Felix’s waist, nuzzle into the boy’s chest and press a tender kiss to the scar that let both of them know that he had managed to survive through quite an ordeal, that he was still here, alive and breathing.  

 

“As much as you’re enjoying the view, I think you’ll be pretty pissed when I tell Channie hyung that the reason you were late to this impromptu meeting was because you were lazing around and ogling me while I got dressed.”

 

Groaning at Felix’s mild threat, Changbin immediately rolled out of the bed, straight onto the floor where he met the ground with a rather hefty thump, earning himself a melodious laugh from the boy hovering above him. Changbin looked upwards to see Felix being enveloped by the morning sun, freckles dancing beautifully in the light and making him look positively angelic.

 

“Come on, Binnie, up you get.” Grabbing Changbin by the hand and hoisting him upwards, Felix managed to finally dress himself, helping the Medic out when he became too tangled in his hoodie to get his head into the correct hole.

 

It seemed to Changbin that the way he had comforted Felix last night in his distressed state had allowed some relief to the other as there were no more tears to be seen, not even a crystal sheen coating his eyes. He was thankful for that since seeing Felix upset was one of the worst things he would ever have to endure.

 

“Nice of you guys to finally join us,” Seungmin badgered, knowing that Hyunjin had gone to awaken the two boys more than twenty minutes ago.

 

“Sorry, sorry, that was my fault. Didn’t wanna get up but Lix eventually got me out. Alright, so, why did you need to speak to us? Have you thought of what we’re going to do?”

 

As Changbin asked him the question, Chan’s gaze fell a little lower, having an idea in his head but one that he was sure the others probably wouldn’t be too happy about. Woojin quickly grabbed his hand and threw a reassuring smile to let the Knight know that he would always be here for him.

 

“We were talking a lot last night after you guys left and we came up with a possible plan. Woojinnie and I thought that maybe you guys don’t have to go through the Fortress.”

 

Bright eyes and inquisitive stares were locked upon the eldest boys as they kept their gazes firmly set upon their interlocked fingers.

 

“We don’t have to go through the Fortress? What do you mean, hyung?” Jisung inquired, not quite grasping what it was that Chan was trying to propose to them. However, it didn’t take Jeongin quite as long to decipher what it was that they were trying to say.

  
“We won’t have to go through because the plan that they came up with is for the two of them to try and conquer the Fortress by themselves, right? What the actual fuck, hyung?”

 

Attention immediately flew to Jeongin whose words practically dripped with rage and disappointment and from the looks on their eldest hyungs’ faces, it seemed that Jeongin had hit the nail on the head with regards to their intentions. Seeing the indignation set on the Necromancer’s face, Woojin didn’t even make a move to call out his crass language.

 

“We just thought that it would be stupid for all of us to put ourselves in danger for a possibility. Maybe it’s better to attempt the trials in a smaller team. Perhaps that’s why all of the other groups who attempted it failed. We don’t-”

 

“You can’t actually be serious. This is the master plan that you guys came up with after talking all night? You’ve got to be shitting me! Are you two fucking insane?!”

 

“Jisung, watch it.”

 

“No, I won’t ‘watch it’, Woojin hyung. You honestly think that we would ever let you guys do something like this by yourselves?” Jisung hissed, not letting his anger dissipate.

 

“Do the two of you not trust us or something?” Hyunjin barked, sharing in Jisung’s rage that seemingly spread to all other occupants of the room as well.

 

“Of course we trust all of you but-”

 

“But what, hyung? Christ, I can’t believe you two. You think that we’re too fragile to help you do the trials? That we’re all just going to sit here and wait to see if you complete the Fortress or possibly hear the message that two of our best friends, our brothers, have been killed since they couldn’t pass the tests because we weren’t there to help them?” snarled Minho, feeling rather betrayed since he had sternly told his hyungs that, even though he wasn’t particularly thrilled about the idea of taking on the Fortress, he would be there to fight by their sides if they did decide to do the trials that were waiting for them.

 

The previous night had dragged on for the two eldest members of the group as they discarded the idea of sleep and simply sat side by side, backs against the wall. Too many unpredictable outcomes flew through their minds, wondering how they would come up with a plan that kept their boys safe. Chan almost immediately mentioned that he wanted to attempt the trials, getting the possibility of ignoring Wooyoung’s pleas out of the way. Noticing the blank look on Woojin’s face, Chan hurriedly reassured him that the Bard was not required to come with him, none of the boys were but the soft kiss that was placed to his temple during his babbling let him know that Woojin would never let him go someplace like the Fortress by himself.

 

Seeing the outrage they knew that was coming, Woojin sighed heavily before flopping backwards onto the bed and groaning into his hands. “You guys, we don’t want to force you to come along with us since we want to attempt this. Channie and I just wanna make sure that you’re all safe.”

 

“And we want to make sure that  _ you’re  _ safe, hyung,” murmured Seungmin. “We always appreciate how you and Channie hyung look out for us but you have to realise that you can rely on us to look out for you too. I would have hoped that the two of you already knew that by now.”

 

Rather than being furious with them, it seemed to Chan that the Illusionist was extremely hurt by the fact that the two eldest members didn’t seem to have any confidence in their skills or belief that they wanted to keep their friends protected.  

 

“I guess that puts us back to square one then, Woojinnie,” Chan sighed, trying to diffuse the stifling atmosphere with a small chuckle, barely audible but one that reached the hearts of his friends.

 

“That was a rather spectacularly terrible idea, hyung,” Felix sighed, throwing daggers at Chan and Woojin when he finally managed to sit back up.

 

“It was all Channie’s idea, Lix. I had nothing to do with it. I’m completely innocent,” Woojin mumbled, finding himself swiftly sprawled across the floor after Chan pushed him off of the bed rather dramatically with a pout that said ‘I can’t believe you would sell out the person you love like that to save your own skin.’

 

Finally seeing the feeling of frustration quietening down, both boys began to apologise profusely, making sure their friends knew that it wasn’t because they doubted them in any way, shape or form.

 

“So, we’re doing this then? We’re gonna try and beat the Fortress together?”

 

Seeing eyes quickly fall to the floor, Chan knew that nobody particularly wanted to attempt such a feat when it could mean losing one another but it seemed after countless hours of thinking that this was the only way around their predicament. The pain it created, the sadness and worry caused Chan’s heart to break, especially after hearing Minho’s begging pleas the night before. It seemed like the Tracker had accepted his fate along with the rest of them, a look of slight determination burning in his irises coupled with a content smile which he presented to the two boys still situated on the bed. The Knight began to wonder if Jisung had reassured him in some way about the outcome, knowing it was a job that only the Thief could handle when it came to Minho.

 

“We’re with you, hyung. Nine or none,” declared Minho.

 

“Ok then. According to Wooyoung, we have four weeks left. In that time, we should do all we can to make sure that we’re prepared. We should train and make sure that we have the best equipment that is available. However, we need to make sure to spend time together and do what we want to do because…”

 

Chan’s words slowly came to a halt, his lips still moving but no sounds escaping his mouth. The end of the sentence didn’t need to be said as they all knew where the Knight had been going with his train of thought.  _ ‘We need to make sure to spend time together and do what we want to do because we may not beat the Fortress and end up dying inside.’  _ It was a constant battle of head and heart, wanting to stay together and keep each other safe but at the same time knowing that Wooyoung hadn’t lied to them and that Phantasm’s fate was already predetermined. Woojin placed arms around Chan’s shoulder and pulled him into his side, placing his head on top of the younger’s curls, rubbing his left arm to soothe his worries.

 

“Channie’s right. So, if there is anything that anyone wants to do in the coming weeks, think about it and let us know. Try not to make it anything too crazy, ok?”

 

All boys nodded their heads slowly, Felix making the first move towards the two oldest boys before wrapping his arms around them and feeling them instantly returning the embrace. It wasn’t long before everyone else found their way to the hug, all of them staying wrapped around each other for an extended amount of time, nothing needed to be said between any of them, their actions being more than enough.

 

Squeezing his friends just a little bit tighter, Chan hid his face in Woojin’s necks, softly breathing against his skin. “We’ll be ok. I know we’ll be ok.”

 

* * *

 

Sitting in the little cafe they found just off of the main street, the boys fidgeted anxiously as they awaited the arrival of the group of young men that they had invited to eat breakfast with them. They all planned to leave Balisa the following day, knowing that they would have to do so to try and squeeze in everything that their group wanted to do. After their shared embrace, Jeongin had proclaimed quite loudly that he wanted all of his friends to meet Yedam since he had become so close with the younger Necromancer. Chan and Hyunjin also vehemently agreed with the idea, the thought of being able to see Yedam again with the rest of their members seeming like such a terrific idea. This led the others to propose going back to all of their friends who had looked after them after they had fallen through the portals, knowing that the rest of their members would get along swimmingly with them.

 

They knew that they wouldn’t have enough time to do so if they had to walk all the way back to where they started and decided to invest in the talents of a Leaper. Like Changbin had done so many times before, other classes would use their abilities for a service for others and Leapers were one such class. Their abilities, as Jisung was well aware, allowed people to travel to different destinations at a second's notice. Many of the main cities held stores where a Leaper could be located and would use their powers for the customers. However, they usually charged a rather hefty price, especially when they were required to teleport numerous people. While it was rather expensive, the boys thought it was worth it if it meant they could accomplish all that they wanted in the short amount of time they had left.

 

Hearing the little bell jingle to signify the entrance of a customer, the boys heard a jovial greeting that was aimed towards their elder group of friends as they waved and made their way over to them. Attention seemed to immediately lock on Jisung, who tilted his head inquisitively as he wondered why there was such worried stares set upon him. He felt a little kick to his shin under the table that came from Changbin but before he could set himself upon the Medic, Jisung quickly gathered that it was because the reason they had given for leaving the party early last night was because Jisung was feeling ill. He quickly steadied himself and let a small cough go, wondering if that would have been convincing enough to signify that he was still not feeling well.

 

While they had decided as a group that they would not tell the elder group of boys about the reason they had decided to take on the Fortress, they thought that they should at least tell them that in four weeks, they would be attempting to take the trials on. They had thoroughly prepared themselves for the backlash that they were sure would momentarily hit them.

 

“Well, you’re all exceedingly quiet and in the time that we’ve known you, I know for certain that’s never a good sign,” Jackson hummed, trying to mitigate the obvious gloominess in the air.

 

“We actually just wanted to talk to all of you about something, hyung. We’ll be leaving the city tomorrow and heading back to some friends that we met during our travels,” Chan explained, not looking up to meet any of his hyungs’ eyes.

 

“Alright but that doesn’t explain why you all look like you want to crawl under the table and escape,” Bambam chuckled despite feeling that something was wrong with all of the boys sitting in front of them.

 

“I suppose this is a sort of goodbye, I guess.”

 

“What does that mean, Channie?”

 

“We’re going back to visit our friends because in a few weeks time, we’re going to take on the Fortress.”

 

The shouts resonating throughout the cafe came after a flutter of silence, ones that actually prompted the waitress to come and ask them to quieten down because they were disturbing the other customers. Once they had managed to control and compose themselves, the elder group of boys glared skeptically at their younger friends.

 

“What the hell has brought this on? Why the change all of a sudden?” Youngjae questioned, almost looking to be on the verge of tears.

 

“We just thought that this was the right time, hyung. We don’t want to be stuck in here anymore.”

 

“Why have I got the strangest feeling that particular excuse is bullshit, Changbin? Did something happen? You guys promised to be truthful with us!” Mark exclaimed, bowing his head apologetically when he got another glare from the waitress behind the counter.

 

“No, nothing happened, hyung. We just think that it’s time. We’re sorry for dropping all of this on you but we hope that you can support us and we’re free for the whole day today if you guys wanna do something with us.”

 

“M-maybe we could do something to help. We could come with you! We could try together!” Yugyeom proposed.

 

“You know that only ten people can enter at a time, hyung. It would be pointless for you to come along when all of you couldn’t come inside,” reasoned Hyunjin, knowing that the older boy was just trying to aid them in any way that he could.

 

Glancing at Jisung with a look that held both distress and sympathy, Jaebum sighed defeatedly, knowing that something probably had happened but that he was never going to get the younger boys to be completely honest with them; that was just the type of people they seemed to be.

 

“I don’t know why you guys are deciding to do this. It doesn’t sit well with me but I can tell by the look in your eyes that no matter what we say to you that you’re not going to listen. I’d rather spend what time we have left together rather than everyone being mad at each other and parting on sour terms.”

 

Seemingly thankful for the other’s understanding and sophistication, the group of younger boys gave him a smile that spoke a thousand words of thanks.

 

“I’m gonna have to pretend like I’m ok with this? I don’t think so. I have no intention of letting you guys do such a thing,” Jackson huffed, crossing his arms across his chest, a stone cold expression making his face taught.

 

“Hyung…”

 

“I won’t let you do such a thing unless I think that you’re prepared. We have you for the whole day then, yeah? We get to decide where we want to take you guys?”

 

Nodding with slight apprehension, the boys squinted their eyes at Jackson, knowing full well that they shouldn’t completely trust the Battle Priest’s honey tinted words.

 

“Perfect. I know just what I want to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this chapter written months ago but last week decided to add the Seungmin and Hyunjin scene because, you know, I'm a sucker for soft Seungjin and I needed it. Have a good week you guys and be kind to one another! ❤


	42. Don't fight the problem, decide it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. Another chapter for you guys with some GOT7 interaction. Not much more to say, so, on we go.

While he had spent his time with the older group of boys during his first weeks in Phantasm, Changbin had made one rule and one rule only when it came to dealing with them. Never,  _ ever,  _ trust Jackson Wang. It had been a rule that had served him well and saved him from many precarious situations in the past but as he led them past the gates of Balisa and into the depths of the forest that lay just outside the walls of the city, Changbin thought that he really should have passed this rule onto his other members too. When the Battle Priest had confirmed that they would all be spending the day together after they learned that the younger group of boys would be leaving the city the following day and taking on the Fortress in a few weeks time, a rather sly grin had crept its way up onto Jackson’s face, something that only seemed to worry the Medic. 

 

“Binnie, you seem really on edge. I mean, more so than usual. What’s up?” 

 

“Did you ever have someone that you really care about and is extremely kind but you wouldn’t always trust them because you know they’re deviously evil on the inside?”

 

“You mean like Innie?”

 

“That...that is a rather fantastic example, Lix. So, think of another Innie but in the form of Jackson hyung. He’s bringing all of us out here because he says he won’t let us go to take on the Fortress unless he thinks we’re prepared. What the hell is he going to get us to do?” 

 

Felix let out a little giggle at the Medic’s untrusting expression, burning a hole in the back of Jackson’s head, almost as if he was trying to invade his thoughts and figure out his plans for all of them as they traversed even further into the foliage around them. Finally coming to a halt in the middle of a rather open area, Jackson immediately swung around to face all of the startled boys, Felix quickly gathering by his toothy grin what Changbin had been referring to when he told him that he more than likely had something insidious planned for all of them. 

 

“Well, here we are. I think we should just jump right into this.” 

 

“Jump into what, hyung?” Jeongin questioned before he was urged forward by Jackson, the elder wrapping his arm around the young Necromancer and subtly whispering in his ear. Firmly patting his back, Jackson asked Jeongin if he understood what had been asked of him, to which the youngest boy slowly nodded his head with a slightly befuddled expression before returning back to his members. 

 

“Ok, then. We’ll see you all in a little while. Well, that’s if you think you can complete your mission,” Jackson beamed before running in a random direction with the rest of his friends, leaving an even more perplexed group behind them until they were out of sight. 

 

“Innie, what did Jackson hyung ask you to do?” 

 

“He said to wait about five minutes and then to send him a wisp. When I did, he said he would explain the rest of this plan to us.” 

 

Standing together for what seemed like a lifetime as they awaited their orders, the group of friends huddled together to conserve heat. It wasn’t exceptionally cold by any standards but standing out in the open as the wind whistled around their ears caused the breeze to nip at their ears, an uncomfortable feeling from the weather and their position rising up from the pits of their stomachs. 

 

After the allotted time had passed, Jeongin called a wisp and sent it off to find Jackson as he had asked. It took all of two minutes for the wisp to return to Jeongin, with Chan being extremely impressed with the speed of the tiny light returning to them, thinking the time in which it took Jeongin to receive messages had most definitely decreased since he had done it for the first time all those weeks ago when trying to locate Minho. It felt awfully strange to be hearing a message this way instead of in real time since he really hadn’t used this method of communication with anyone but Yedam recently. Bending down to whisper to the wisp, the flames tickled Jeongin’s nose before bursting into a beautiful orange and spilling the elder’s words. 

 

_ “Alright, kids. This is your one chance to convince all of us that you can manage to take on the Rautaja Fortress. If you don’t manage to complete the task I’m setting out for you, we don’t plan on letting you go anywhere near that place. Am I making myself clear?”  _

 

Even though Jackson wasn’t standing beside them and they knew that he wouldn’t be able to hear any of their responses since this was a recorded message, everyone still nodded their heads with fervency to show that they understood the parameters being set out for them. 

 

_ “You have one hour to track all of us down and incapacitate us. And that’s starting from when you receive this message. We will not move outside of the forest but I think that it should still give us plenty of space to evade you for a while. Think of it as a giant game of tag but you do have to stop us when you find us too. Split up or stay together, make a plan or get as much of a head start as you can. Those choices are up to you because I assume that’s what you’re going to have to deal with if you enter the Fortress, making difficult choices. Remember, one hour to put us out of action and I’m not going to let you know if we’re alone or with others. You need to be prepared for the unexpected. Have fun you guys and I’m really hoping that you do not succeed!”  _

 

With that, Jeongin’s wisp reverted to its natural state before being dismissed by its master. The youngest hurriedly looked at the others, knowing that Jackson’s threat of not letting them take on the Fortress was more than real and they couldn’t let themselves be tied down like that when they knew how many lives were at stake, even when the elder boys didn’t. Before anyone could make a move, Chan was organising them into a small circle, putting on his best fierce leader face that made everyone stand alert, ready to hear the commands they were momentarily going to be given. 

 

“Minho, can you use your abilities right now to tell us if they’re all together or separated?”

 

“Sure, hyung. One second.” Eyes flaring amber, the Tracker’s pupils began to dart in many different directions, searching for those who had escaped from them in the hopes of deterring them from moving forwards to take on the trials. 

 

“Jackson hyung is alone to the north. About six hundred meters to the northeast, Jaebum hyung and Youngjae hyung are together. Mark hyung, Yugyeom hyung and Jinyoung hyung are relatively in the same area about four hundred meters to the east and Bambam hyung...I can’t detect his aura. He knows how to hide it? Damn.” 

 

Satisfied about knowing the general whereabouts of most of their friends, Chan turned his attention back to the group as a whole. 

 

“All right, if we only have one hour to complete this task, then we are most definitely going to have to split up. This forest is too large track down and fight all of the others if we stay as nine so, let’s disperse into three groups of three. We’ve always worked well that way.” 

 

It highly amused Woojin the way that Chan was able to take control at a second’s notice and more importantly, gather the concentration of all of the younger members when he stared them down like this was the most imperative and important mission in their life right now. It was a trait that he had always admired in the other, an attribute that drew him in even more than he already was and a virtue that he envied too. While the youngest members of their group respected and loved Woojin with all their heart, he couldn’t help but feel that there was something within Chan that was able to capture their attention with the snap of his fingers, something that the others knew not to go against. It always came in handy in instances like this where undivided focus was needed to carefully assign everyone their assignments. 

 

“In these groups of three, we need someone who can locate all of them. We can decide the following members based on that. Minho, you should be the leader of one since you can sense their auras.”   


A simple nod of the Tracker’s head was all that Chan received, everyone knowing that they were already beginning to run out of the time that was allotted to them. 

 

“Hyung, I can locate them if I send out my wisps to them, like how I found you and all the others when we were separated. I can do it.” 

 

“Ok, Innie is the second leader then. Anyone else?”    


Felix quickly raised his hand, as if waiting to be called upon in this most serious of meetings. “Hyung, Sawa can track scents of anyone I’ve met before. I read up on Nokkedis and it’s an ability that I don’t have to teach her, it’s just ingrained within her. I haven’t tried it before but I’m sure that she’ll be able to do it.” 

 

Chan didn’t need to hear anymore from the young Beast Master, confident that if Felix said that he could do it, he didn’t need to doubt him in any way. Knowing Felix always struggled with his confidence, it was nice to see him so sure of himself when it came to his summoning abilities. With a quick wink and an encouraging smile, Chan gave him the thumbs up and directed him to stand beside the other two members who would lead the teams in their mission. 

 

“Looking at this objectively, we should try to have a white magic user on each team too but I’m probably going to be the weak link of that front compared to Changbin and Woojin with whatever team I’m on,” Chan admitted sheepishly but knew he would quickly have to get over that feeling of doubt he had planted inside of himself if they wanted to quickly get going towards their destination. 

 

“We should also have a member in each group who is confident in their melee abilities. Minho will be fine in his group with his Katana. Jisung, I think you should go with Innie.”

 

“Yes, sir!” resounded Jisung, quickly scooting over beside Jeongin and linking arms with the huffing Necromancer. 

 

“Then, I’ll stay with Lix and that takes care of five of us. Woojinnie, since you’re a confident white magic user, maybe you should-”

 

“Stick with Innie and Jisungie? You got it.” 

 

It seemed that Woojin had already pretty much figured out Chan’s thought process when the Knight noticed he was already standing beside Jisung with a bright smile before Chan had even voiced his ideas. He playfully rolled his eyes when he noticed the smug look on the eldest boy’s face, obviously knowing that he had spent enough time with Chan to be able to tell what he was thinking. 

 

“Changbin, that leaves you with Minho as the resident white magic user. Hyunjin, you come with me and Seungmin, you’re with Minho’s group. That settles that. One more thing before we go. Let’s assign targets. There’s going to be little to no point if we all separate into different groups but head after the same person. Changbin, Seungmin and Minho, I think you could tackle Jaebum hyung and Youngjae hyung. I think Changbin could pin down Jaebum hyung’s abilities the best. You ok with that?” 

 

Three confident salutes came towards the Knight, making him snicker slightly at how in sync they were without even realising it. 

  
“Woojin, Jisung and Innie, you go to the bigger group to the east and that leave us with Jackson hyung and trying to sniff out Bambam hyung’s scent. This should be easy. They don’t stand a chance against the likes of us.”

 

Nobody knew if this was particularly true since many of them hadn’t seen the way some of the members of the eldest group of boys fought but that was also an advantage that many of them also held. The one and only time they had all fought together was during the pandemonium after the tournament but everyone had been so focused in on their own battles that there wasn’t time to marvel over different fighting styles that probably would have blown them away had they been paying attention. However, they appreciated Chan’s enthusiasm when it came to their skills and abilities all the same. 

 

“Alright, this is our one chance to prove ourselves, to show that we are more than able to take on this damn Fortress. Everyone ready? Let’s do this!” Chan yelled, watching as everyone flew off in their respective directions. 

 

* * *

 

“You think they’ll be able to find us, hyung?”

 

“Probably, Yugyeom. They’re smart kids. It’s not like we’re making them do this exercise because we don’t think they can do it. We just...want to make sure that they’re not rushing into this. Although, I think Jackson really is hoping that they won’t complete this. He’s way too attached to them.” 

 

“Oh, come on, Mark hyung. You say that like you don’t absolutely love all of them as well. When they sent us the message to say they were going to find Gyujin, you were the first one out the door to follow them.” 

 

Swinging his legs off of the sturdy branch he was currently placed upon, Mark let out a rather disbelieving huff at Jinyoung’s smug smile that showed that he knew he was right. Jackson hadn’t really given them any specific directions on what to do against their younger group of friends before running off yelling like a mad man. Mark had thanked the gods that they were already so used to Jackson’s buffoon like tendencies and dragging all of them into his hair brained schemes. 

 

“It’s already been nearly thirty minutes. They’ll need to get moving pretty soon if they want to succeed,” Yugyeom yawned. 

 

As he glanced at the watch secured around his wrist, Yugyeom caught something in the corner of his eye but looking in the direction of the flicker of movement, there was nothing to be seen. Finally leaning back against the tree, he attributed his lack of focus to the fact that they had returned from the party pretty late last night, not allowing them to enjoy much sleep before they had received a wisp earlier on in the morning from Jeongin to say that they wanted to meet up for breakfast. 

 

The Dark Sniper never could have guessed that the younger group of boys would have come out with an idea like that, taking on the Fortress so suddenly but he knew, like all of his other members, that there was something going on beneath the surface, something they weren’t being told and something they would probably never know about. If he was being honest, he was of the same mindset as Jackson, not wanting the boys to succeed in their attempts to incapacitate them because, more than anything, his protective instincts were flaring and he wanted to keep all of them safe. Being so used to being the maknae of the group, he never got the privilege of fussing over younger members but when Changbin had joined their little group of misfits, he truly enjoyed making trouble for the Medic like his hyungs always did for him. When he had been introduced to Changbin’s other friends, he suddenly understood what Mark and Jaebum must have felt like, having so many young spirits relying on you and looking up to all that you did. He loved it and he loved them but the thoughts of all of them going to the Fortress did make his stomach turn. 

 

Hearing the leaves rustle around his ears as he played around with his invention in his hands, Jinyoung tinkered with a screw that felt a bit wobbly to him but when he asked Yugyeom what he thought, all he got was a shrug of the youngest’s shoulders and it reminded him to never ask the Dark Sniper for help in anything. Before he could ask Mark his opinion, the Engineer felt an odd tingling in his fingertips, like they were becoming numb but not before he felt a smooth melody sway past his ears, one that made him feel oddly at ease but at the same time a very real, primal sense of danger. Hopping down from his seated position, Jinyoung slowly began to scan around him, seeing Mark and Yugyeom keep their position, even though he knew that they heard the melodious voice too by their focused stares. 

 

“Be on your guard, I don’t think we’re alone anymore,” Jinyoung warned, glancing behind a cluster of trees, hand firmly upon his Knife and leaving Mark’s range of sight. 

 

“Jinyoung, come back here. We have to stay together if they’re going to attack,” Mark warned, watching Jinyoung momentarily disappear only to reappear a couple of seconds later as the music suddenly came to a halt. 

 

“Funny, I was sure that’s where the singing was coming from. There was nothing back there though. Guess I was wrong,” Jinyoung hesitated, roughly scratching the back of his neck with frustration. 

 

“It’s ok, hyung. I guess they’re just trying to trick us into splitting up. We’ll be ready for them, they won’t outsmart us. Well, maybe they’ll outsmart you but not me.” 

 

Yugyeom thought it awfully strange when he patted Jinyoung on the shoulder out of fake sympathy, knowing this would usually result in a gentle, playful beating but Jinyoung just stood there and took it, a thankful smile on his face and that was enough to tip Yugyeom off that not everything was as it seemed. Perhaps noticing just a little too late, the Dark Sniper was unable to draw his Rifle before Jinyoung lurched forwards, pinning Yugyeom’s arms behind his back pushing him face first into the ground.

 

“Hyung!”

 

“Jinyoung! What the hell?! What’re you doing? Let Yugyeom go!” 

 

As Mark moved forwards to help the youngest member from the rather painful looking grasp of the Engineer, he felt his foot slip beneath him, bringing him to his knees and finding a weapon already being pointed at him before he could reach for his Revolver. Standing proud with a rather pleased smile, Jisung placed his Dagger straight at Mark’s throat, not giving the Gunslinger much room to protest as he slowly raised his hands to defend himself. It wasn’t as if his friends could help him, with Yugyeom being restrained by a very satisfied looking Jinyoung. 

 

“Man, what the hell? Jinyoung! Why are you helping them? Jackson is going to kill you!” 

 

“Oh, Mark hyung, you don’t have to yell at Jinyoung hyung because that’s not really him.” 

 

  
Glancing up from the ground, Mark noticed Jeongin coming to stand beside Jinyoung who was still holding Yugyeom firmly in place before the Dark Sniper began to laugh ecstatically at something which Mark hadn’t quite managed to grasp yet. 

 

“Christ, this kid has been learning how to summon new spirits without me. How long have you been able to summon a Fetch, Jeonginnie?”  

 

“I learned it from a friend when I stayed with him recently. They do come in pretty handy, I guess,” Jeongin chirped, puffing his chest out proudly now that he had managed to incapacitate his former teacher. 

 

“You guys wanna tell me what the hell is going on?!” Mark barked, still not overly impressed that a rather sharp weapon was being pointed at his throat before he was helped up from the ground after he had shown he had conceded defeat with a nod of his head. 

 

“Pity Seungminnie isn’t here, he usually explains what the spirits do. Mark hyung, a Fetch is a spirit from Celtic mythology that has the ability to become a doppelgänger of a person, in this case, Jinyoung hyung,” Yugyeom explained and Mark suddenly realised when the spirit’s eyes flashed red and began to disappear after Jeongin had uttered his dismissing chant that the Jinyoung in front of him was not one of his members but a spirit that had been called upon by their youngest friend to take his place and trick them into trusting the enemy. 

 

“If that wasn’t Jinyoung, then where is he?”

 

“That’s kinda my fault I guess, hyung,” Woojin replied sheepishly, almost looking ashamed that he had participated in tricking all of them to accomplish their mission. “Jinyoung hyung is asleep behind those trees. I sang one of my spells to lure him back there and he immediately fell asleep when he was out of sight, allowing Innie to use his Fetch to take his place. It’s not his fault, he couldn’t resist that spell and was drawn towards the sound. The potency of my spells has apparently gotten a lot stronger since I last tried them out in battle. So sorry about all of this.” 

 

Yugyeom quickly laughed, patting the Bard’s back and rushing to the cluster of trees to see if Jinyoung was indeed asleep on the forest floor as Woojin had explained. Once he got visual confirmation, Yugyeom’s laughter could be heard for miles as he began to realise how easily all of them had been fooled and taken advantage of.

 

“How the hell did you guys manage to sneak up on us? We should have been able to hear you for miles around!”

 

“That was my job!” Jisung beamed, obviously waiting to be called upon for his part in their devious plan. “I learned a new technique too! That book that Changbin hyung gave to me really helped. Learning about stealing stuff you can’t even see is so much fun. I had to mark a perimeter around where I wanted my abilities to work and I think I saw Yugyeom hyung and Jinyoung look at me once or twice when I was running around but once I had my location marked, I stole all of the sound within the designated area. Didn’t you all find it weird that there was complete silence around you or...did you even notice?”

 

Mark was the first to admit that he hadn’t. They had been so immersed in trying to focus and make sure that there was nobody creeping up on them that they hadn’t realised that the birds around them had stopped singing, that the leaves brushing off the ground were no longer emitting any sounds and it had cost them the game. 

 

“Man, you guys really do work well as a team, I’m extremely impressed,” Yugyeom chortled, gently tapping Jinyoung’s cheek to awaken him and rejoin their group. 

 

“Thanks, hyung but that means we won, right?”

 

“Yeah, Jisung but just your group. We’ll have to wait a little while longer to see if your friends have also accomplished their mission.” 

 

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about them. I have complete and utter faith that we won’t be the only ones who are victorious in our expedition,” Woojin grinned.

 

 

* * *

 

“Ok, Jaebum hyung and Youngjae hyung are about one hundred meters in front of us. You guys ready to do this?” Minho whispered, not wanting to even possibly give away their position to the enemy. That’s the way he had to think about this now to accomplish this mission: that Youngjae and Jaebum were his enemies. Having Changbin on his team was a huge plus since the Medic was wise to so many of their abilities already but they also knew not to get cocky, that their elder group of friends had more than likely learned new skills in the many months that they had been apart. 

 

Creeping up slowly to their destination, the boys positioned themselves behind a bundle of shrubs, one that was managing to completely camouflage them from any wandering eyes that might be looking for their whereabouts. For the last time, Minho’s eyes blazed and he carefully located the auras he had been keeping track of but when he noticed the location, the butterflies in his stomach fluttered. The two auras that he had been surveying were standing directly in front of them but Jaebum and Youngjae were not. There was nobody there, nothing to even signify that anyone had been there recently and Minho understood that the two elder members were not where they should have been. 

 

“They left an imprint of their aura to throw me off? They can both hide it too? Fuck!” Minho chastised himself, knowing that he had screwed up by not expecting the unexpected. Before he could chide himself any further, a feeling of dread came over his body and he barely managed to grab Changbin before the end of Youngjae’s staff came into contact with his head. 

 

Tumbling around the forest floor, both boys immediately jumped back up into a fighting stance with weapons in hand to deter their attacker. 

 

“You know, Bin, when you met back up with us for the tournament in Morthan, you introduced me to the others by saying that I was a Scholar but that I wasn’t much of a fighter. That really hurt but I suppose it’s not your fault. A lot has changed since you were with our group,” chimed Youngjae, a dazzling smile reaching his ears and if Changbin wasn’t in a very serious situation, he would have had to return the grin. 

  
“Oh, really, hyung? Well then, I guess you’ll have to show us what you’re made of,” Changbin retaliated, making Youngjae smirk before raising his weapon to show that he was ready. However, his air of confidence suddenly dropped when the Medic guffawed at his conceited self. 

 

“Is that what you’d thought I’d say, Youngjae hyung? I know you’re a Scholar, extremely intelligent and well versed in everything to do with Phantasm but unfortunately for you, we’re not as idiotic as you seem to think. We know that Jaebum hyung is here too and we’re not going to be distracted long enough for him to attack us while we’re busy dealing with you.” 

 

“Well, well, looks like you’re using your head, Bin. Unfortunately for  _ you,  _ it seems that you’ve come to that little realisation too late.” 

 

Unable to ask what he meant as his face was suddenly being pushed into the ground, Changbin tried to raise himself but was repeatedly being kept down by immeasurable pressure, some unseen force and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Jaebum had learned to control his energy a hell of a lot better since the last time they had fought together. It seemed that Minho had been caught off guard too, also being unable to rise from the forest floor as he was kept down by Jaebum’s will. 

 

“Tsk, tsk boys. I thought that you’d put up more of a fight than this,” Jaebum sang as he fell from his position atop a oak tree, making it obvious that he had completely shut off his energy until his competition in the little game arrived. “Youngjae has this amazing ability where he can create an imprint of a person’s aura while erasing the real one from a Tracker’s sight. It was probably a mistake to tell us that you were a Tracker, Minho. We figured out pretty quickly that this was going to be the way that you found all of us.” 

 

Minho huffed on the ground, still not ceasing in trying to rise before his face was harshly pushed into the debris of the deciduous trees of the forest. 

 

“You should have just fought me, Bin. It would have been fun to see your skills but now all you guys can do is concede defeat. Jaebum hyung isn’t going to let the two of you up until you do so. He could sense your emotions from when the two of you stopped a little while ago before planning your attack. Such rookie mistakes and you think you guys are ready to take on the Fortress?”

 

Shaking his head as much as he could, Changbin locked eyes with Youngjae who was talking big but held an undeniable softness in his eyes at the same time. Changbin knew that Youngjae had always been the caregiver in the group, the one he could go to when he was struggling or feeling a little down and the gaze he was receiving from the Scholar showed Changbin that this particular side of his friend hadn’t disappeared over the months that they had been separated. 

 

“Listen, I know the two of you are probably the strongest in your group but you really should have come with more people. Sending two seems a little arrogant, don’t you think? Come on, say that you give up already, you guys were too overconfident,” Jaebum goaded but knew that something was terribly wrong when Minho could no longer contain his laughter. 

 

“Ah, hyung, we would never be as stupid to be arrogant when going up against the likes of you. Maybe it was the two of you that were being smug. Changbinnie, did you say that it was only the two of us that came to fight them?” 

 

“No, Minho hyung, I never said that and I don’t remember you saying that either.”

 

That was all it took for the two eldest boys to begin wildly looking around them but their self assuredness had already cost them the match when an arrow whistled through the air, skimming Youngjae’s shoulder but not piercing the skin and pinning his coat to the ground before another mirrored the first and secured his sleeve to the floor of the forest. 

 

Momentarily losing focus, Jaebum urgently felt the need to rush towards his distressed friend who was desperately trying to dislodge the weapons from his clothing but soon realised this had been a severe mistake on his part. Feeling the energy keeping him on the floor dissipate for a flicker of a second, Minho leapt up, quickly unsheathing his Katana and engaging Jaebum in combat. Even though the Psychic was exceedingly strong, his abilities held the majority of his power and when he was put up against someone like Minho, he really didn’t stand a chance. Disarming him with relative ease, Minho backed Jaebum up against a tree to his left, pointing his sword directly at his throat as he saw Changbin do the same to Youngjae, the sharp head of his Staff grazing the Scholar’s cheek as he lay frozen. 

 

“Well...shit. You can come out now, Seungmin, I know you’re there but what I don’t know is why I can’t feel your energy.” Jaebum admittedly jumped a little when Seungmin materialised right beside him, grinning like he knew a secret that he so desperately wanted to share. 

 

“Hi, Jaebum hyung, Youngjae hyung. I think you guys were the ones who were a little too overconfident. Well, do you concede defeat?” 

 

Huffing like he didn’t want to admit that they had lost, Jaebum reluctantly dipped his head to end the match, feeling incredibly foolish that he had began to think that he had already won before the match was over. Changbin quickly offered his hand and pulled Youngjae to his feet, earning him a rather disbelieving giggle as they both walked to meet the others. 

 

“Alright then, let’s hear it. How did you guys manage to do all that? Minho, we were sure we had you when we left those imprints.”

 

“Did you like my acting, hyung? When you’ve been around auras as long as I have, it’s rather easy to tell a live aura from an imprint from quite a distance away. I let both of them know about your plan but I still couldn’t detect your real auras which is why I told Seungminnie to make himself invisible and stay out of sight until we got a better grasp of the situation.” 

 

“And since I was so sure that you could detect our energies, I used an ability I learned back in Morthan to make Seungminnie’s invisible from anyone. We told him to wait to attack until he thought the moment was right and it looked like he hit his mark dead on,” Changbin exulted, poking his finger through the two holes in Youngjae’s coat, with Seungmin apologising and promising to pay him back for wrecking his clothing with his arrows which was quickly brushed off. 

 

“Huh, maybe you kids have a chance of completing that damn Fortress then. That is, if the others manage to complete this training too. You still don’t wanna tell the two of us why you’ve suddenly decided to take it on?”

 

Three heads shook to let the eldest members know that they were unable to divulge the reason why the trials had suddenly become so important to them, earning them frustrated sighs and disappointed glares. 

 

“Fine, fine, you’re big boys, you can make your own decisions but I’m glad to see that you have thought this through. Come on then, let’s go and see if the others were as successful as you three were.”  

 

* * *

 

 

As soon as Felix had left the rest of his friends and ran ahead with Chan and Hyunjin, he immediately summoned Sawa to his side to track down Bambam’s scent. They knew which general direction to go in since they were pretty certain that Jackson wouldn’t be stupid enough to stay by himself and that Bambam was more than likely with him but knew that the Battle Priest probably wouldn’t have stayed in the exact same place for too long; that wouldn’t make the game very fun. Hopping down by Felix’s feet, the Nokkedi swiftly put her nose to the forest floor, sniffling a little until she let out a resounding roar to let her master know that she was on the trail of the Paladin. 

 

“See? I knew she could do it!” Felix clapped but one part of Sawa’s abilities was not known to the young boy but one that was more than helpful in a situation such as this. The moment the feline raised her head to signal that she had caught the scent, a trail of glittering, burgundy smoke began to form, running through the woods and indicating where the older boy had run off to. Felix tilted his head but instantly figured out from the look in his beast’s eyes that this was the energy trail that Bambam had left behind, the one that had come to life because of Sawa’s talents. 

 

“Sawa! Wow, who’s my talented girl? My Nokkedi is the best, none can rival her! Who knew you could do something like that?! I mean-”

 

“Lix, I don’t mean to get in the way of your jovial boasting but we should probably hurry and follow the trail. We’re kind of on a clock here.” 

 

“Right, sorry, Jinnie. Let’s go. Come on!” 

 

Following the billowing smoke that Sawa had projected, the three friends kept moving towards the center of the forest before eventually coming into an open clearing where the trail ended. Sawa turned and tilted her head towards Feix, almost as if asking to be praised for leading them to the trail’s end. On high alert and realising that they could be attacked at any second, Felix moved his hand forwards to congratulate his Nokkedi on a job well done but kept his eyes firmly on his surroundings, knowing that they were more than likely being lured into a trap. 

 

They all knew the point of this exercise, that they were being tested on how well they dealt with the unexpected because whatever was in the Fortress was obviously something that nobody had thought to encounter since they couldn’t beat it and subsequently died before ever reaching the top. 

 

Chan began to drag his sword from his shoulders, knowing that Bambam had taught him much of what he knew already and held a slight advantage over him. Just about to raise his shield to defend his friends, a dome formed around him but one that he did not make.

 

“Oof, Channie. You should know to be a little quicker than that. If this happens in the Fortress, your team is already dead,” Bambam taunted as he maintained his vibrant, marigold shield around their forms. 

 

Banging on it didn’t seem to get them anywhere as Hyunjin very quickly found out. Jackson tisked along with Bambam, both boys on the outside of the shield and both silently admonishing their captives within the Paladin’s handiwork. They were trapped and from the looks on the elder boy’s faces, this is where the three of them would be staying until they decided to give up. Chan was more than familiar with energy shields, Bambam had been the one to teach him how to use his but he had never learned how to disarm them when they were being used by someone else other than using a lot of force, which he knew the two boys wouldn’t allow him to try. 

 

“See? I knew you kids weren’t ready. Three against two and you still got caught within the first couple of seconds. This shield won’t let anything out of it unless it can manage to pass through magically. Unfortunately for you, none of you can achieve that. I will hand it to you though, you did manage to locate us and that was a task in itself since Bambam hid his aura.”

 

On one hand, it seemed like Jackson was trying to compliment them but on the other, Hyunjin knew that the smile that was placed on his lips wasn’t the result of pride in his young friends but in himself and Bambam for managing to stop them so easily. Only when Felix spoke up did the Alchemist break from his momentary melancholy about the situation. 

 

“Only pass through magically?” 

 

“Mm-hmm. I can see the cogs turning in your head Felix and yes, some beasts could pass through but none of the ones you have managed to summon. Their bodies are of solid composition and that can’t break through the barrier unfortunately. They’re blood and bone like you and me,” Bambam explained, knowing the parameters of how his shield worked could be awfully confusing. Elemental beasts could manage to pass through since their bodies weren’t solid but the Paladin knew that the two beasts that Felix had managed to summon weren’t of this kind; he had to endure so much of Changbin cooing over and admiring Felix and how far he had managed to progress in such a short amount of time. 

 

“Ah, I see. So, if I could summon something like a Jalica, that could pass through?” 

 

Thinking of the elemental bird whose entire body was composed of a crystal white flame, Bambam nodded his head and grinned at how fast Felix had picked up on his explanation. “Yeah, since that is a fire beast, Felix, that would be a beast that could have...managed...to…”

 

Both Jackson and Bambam’s eyes widened when they noticed dust akin to snowflakes fall onto the Beast Master’s shoulder, wondering why Changbin hadn’t been boasting about how Felix could summon a third monster to his side but didn’t get to think for much longer when a fully formed Jalica sat atop the boy’s forearm, ready and waiting to be given a command by its master. From the quick glance he allowed himself to have towards the other two boys within the shield, it seemed to Jackson that neither Chan nor Hyunjin knew that Felix could summon yet another beast but managed to quickly compose themselves when they saw this as an opportunity that they didn’t think that they would get. 

 

With a nod of his head, the Jalica leapt from Felix’s arm, rushing towards the two men on the wrong side of the shield, breaking through the physical barrier and aiming right for them with its flames. Jackson and Bambam simultaneously dove towards the ground to avoid getting clipped by the bird’s dangerous wings; though, they did wonder if Felix would allow the beast to harm them since this wasn’t a serious battle. That was all it took for Bambam’s concentration to waver and his shield to break. Hyunjin immediately took the opportunity, leaping towards a small opening and rolling to the outside of the shield. Hands dusted with mud, he carefully dug inside of the bag secured around his waist and pulled out a flash bomb, throwing it beneath Jackson’s feet as he scrambled to get back up. He called to his friends his codeword for them to shield their eyes, knowing he couldn’t say it outright since that would also give his enemies a clue as to how to protect themselves. 

 

Momentarily blinded by Hyunjin’s invention and still trying to defend themselves from Felix’s Jalica, The two eldest members tried to cure their disorientation but suddenly felt the ground beneath them shudder and crumble. Looking to his left, Bambam saw Chan’s sword drawing runes into the soil, knowing that he was using Tremble and causing the ground beneath their feet to bend to his will as they continually lost their footing, failing to get up. Before the Paladin or Battle Priest could truly gather their bearings and lurch forwards, Chan immediately raised his own energy shield, trapping the young men who had used such a trick on them just moments before. Grinning as they caught their friends off guard, Chan, Hyunjin and Felix gathered around the shield, still on high alert, realising it would be foolish to think that they had won so easily. 

 

“Huh, looks like you were right, hyung. They whooped our asses.”

 

Confused and a little dazed, Chan tilted his head at Bambam’s words as he looked to Jackson for answers, a small, sly grin dancing on his lips. 

 

“Yeah, I figured they were ready. They wouldn’t rush into doing something like this without thinking about it. Just wanted to make extra sure though.” 

 

“Wait, hyung, I thought you said that we wouldn’t succeed, that you didn’t want us to?” challenged Hyunjin as he played with another flash bomb between his fingertips. 

 

“Well, I couldn’t simply let you think that I knew you were ready before we began this exercise now could I? You wouldn’t have tried your hardest then! Since you all did, I can see how much you guys want to take on the Fortress and I’m not gonna ask again why cause that’s your secret if you wanna keep it. Congrats, I guess. You guys passed,” Jackson sighed, letting Chan know that he could finally lower his shield. 

 

“Wait, I thought all of us had to succeed.”

 

“Yeah but we know that the others did too.” Bambam quickly pointed to his ear to reveal a small, silver earpiece which buzzed with electricity. “Something Jinyoung hyung whipped up with his abilities. Acts as a short range communicator, like a phone but it can only be used within about a thousand feet of each other. Both teams said that your boys won their bouts.”

 

Sighing as they released some pent up tension after worrying about their members, the boys sent a smile Jackson’s way to show how grateful they were for his support, knowing that the reason he had brought them out here wasn’t to stop them from taking on the Fortress but to make sure that they were more than prepared to complete the trials. 

 

“It would be nice if you decided to tell us why you’re doing this of your own volition though,” Bambam tried, wondering if his sad tinted tone would be enough to get them to spill their secrets. Feeling a small sense of pity rise up, Chan giggled slightly at Bambam’s expression before setting his eyes on the ground. 

 

“We just think there might be something dangerous coming our way and we’d like to attempt the trials before that can happen. We promised to keep this to ourselves so, I’m sorry I can’t tell you more,” Chan apologised but this only received him a ruffle of his hair from Jackson. 

 

“No need to apologise, it’s all good. Ah, Felix, awesome Jalica by the way. How come Bin never mentioned that you could summon one of those?” 

 

Momentarily forgetting about the beautiful bird resting on Felix’s shoulder, Chan and Hyunjin whipped around to gaze at the radiant flames emitting from the beast’s body.

 

“Ah, I’ve been attempting to summon one recently but he wouldn’t come out for some reason. Seems like he needed a bit of incentive, huh, Lika?” Felix bubbled, running his fingers along the beast’s bristling tail. 

 

“He doesn’t tell us anything. We didn’t know that he was attempting to summon one of those either,” Hyunjin huffed, not being particularly impressed that he was being left out of his friend’s progress. Noticing the sour pout falling upon his face, Felix nodded at Lika to hop over onto the Alchemist’s shoulders and nuzzle into his neck, exuding such a comfortable warmth that Hyunjin immediately lightened up and returned the greeting. 

 

“We should head back soon. I think all of the others want to spend some quality time with you guys before you leave town tomorrow. Man, that is going to be one hell of a goodbye.”

 

“We all know that you’re going to cry, hyung.”

 

“Shut up, Bambam, I will not.”

 

“Yeah, you will.”

 

“No, I-”

 

Chan, Felix and Hyunjin could only laugh hysterically as the two resident drama queens of the other group continued to bicker as they walked back to the starting point. Chan was sure that Bambam was right because more than anything, he was sure there wouldn’t be a dry eye in the house when it came to saying their final goodbye to this particular group of friends who they held so dear. 


	43. Life gives us brief moments with one another but sometimes, in those brief moments, we get memories that last a lifetime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! We're travelling back today to do some reunions, starting with Bangtan. I couldn't find it within myself to let the younger boys call Tae 'Taehyung hyung'. it didn't sound right to me, so they all stuck with Tae but then were calling him 'Tae hyung' which just looks like his name and I...Anyways! Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy!

Bambam hadn’t been wrong when he said that Jackson was going to cry his eyes out when the younger group of boys decided to finally leave Balisa and head towards their friends who had helped them when they were in need. The Battle Priest wailed and sobbed all the way to the store where Felix had located a Leaper that could be used to travel to Namjoon’s house; the first stop on their travels. This gathered many concerned looks and worried glances while the two groups slowly made their way down the main street as Jackson’s cries only got louder and messier as time went on, with Mark whispering with embarrassment to quit the dramatics. 

 

When they had reunited the previous day after Jackson’s impromptu test to check if they were truly prepared for taking on the Fortress, Jaebum had promised them that they would take them for a meal as a sort of apology for putting them through the wringer by testing their abilities when it was their last day together. There was always that hopeful thought within all of their heads that this wouldn’t be the last time that they all saw each other but even if they didn’t want to, they had to be realistic about their situation. They knew that these may have indeed been the last moments that they all spent together if the Fortress managed to take the younger boys away from them. 

 

Arriving at the store, Felix made his way to the counter to let them know about the appointment that he had made the previous day as they had returned from training with Jackson and the others. The woman smiled brightly before ushering the group towards the back of the store where she would be using her abilities to open a portal for them to transport them to their destination. The Beast Master quickly asked if they could take a moment to say their goodbyes before the woman once again grinned to let them know to take their time to bid their friends farewell. 

 

“Oh, do you guys really have to go? You sure you don’t wanna stay another couple of days? We could spend more time together!” Yugyeom stated anxiously, getting him sympathetic looks from not only the boys who would soon be departing but from his own members as well. 

 

“Sorry, hyung but we really do need to get going. If we want to see all of our other friends, we need to leave today,” Jeongin explained with a toothy grin before making his way over to his former teacher and wrapping his arms around the elder boy’s waist. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Yugyeom hyung, especially for me. If it wasn’t for you, I would have never gotten to where I am today. It’s because of you that I can control my powers, that it doesn’t hurt me anymore. You gave me my confidence back and I don’t know how I could ever repay you for that.” 

 

These were the words that caused the first set of tears to fall as Yugyeom buried his face in the young Necromancer’s hair and tried not to let his sobs become too loud. Seeing their youngest break down, Mark and Jaebum soon felt a wave of emotion which caused their eyes to sting with unshed tears. Never having seen his oldest friends crack beneath the pressure, Changbin automatically ran up to both of them, wrapping his arms around their necks before he too felt an overwhelming sadness consume him at the thought of this being the last time he would ever see the group of young men that had saved him from loneliness in a new environment and welcomed him into their family. 

 

Bambam immediately ran towards Chan and crashed their chests together, directing his face in the crook of the Knights neck as they both exhaled shakily but smiled affectionately. 

 

“Look out for all of them, Channie. I know there’s no point in me saying that since you always do but I feel like I need to just to reassure myself that you’ll all be ok.” 

 

Chan nodded three times to show that he understood Bambam’s reasoning and swayed slightly with the Paladin still in his arms. “They’ll be safe with me. I won’t let anything hurt my boys.” 

 

Cuddles, kisses and ruffles of hair were exchanged between friends, ones filled with immeasurable fondness and care. Tear stained cheeks were held by all who stood in the room, even the Leaper who stood silently on the side and watched the heart wrenching exchange between friends. Chan spun around to face his group, earning him smiles full of hope that let him know that they were ready to take the next step on their journey towards the Fortress. With one final wave as they heard Jackson still wailing while bidding them goodbye, all boys held each other’s hand as they walked through the portal to reach Namjoon’s home, leaving their group of broken hearted hyungs behind. 

 

* * *

 

They all thought that this time, travelling through the portals might have been different since the last time they were pushed through quite forcefully and without knowing what was happening to them. None of them had come out on the other side conscious, so the effects didn’t seem to hit them as much but they all had a blinding headache once they had emerged from their senseless state. This time however, having willingly walked through the portal, they assumed that there wouldn’t be any side effects. A pretty stupid assumption on their part. The minute they stepped into the open field after walking through, Jisung and Felix dispersed in different directions and puked their breakfast out onto the ground while coughing violently. Minho and Changbin were at their sides in seconds only to be overcome by a sense of dizziness that made standing in an upright position rather difficult. It seemed that everyone was hit with some sort of ailment as they saw the portal close up behind them and Woojin called on everyone to sit down and rest for a couple of minutes. 

 

Once they had gathered their bearings, Changbin began to lead all of the others in the direction of Namjoon’s home, walking through the well maintained grasslands that surrounded the house. Jeongin had let Jisung send out one of his wisps late last night to let their friends know that they would be returning to them for a couple of days to spend some quality time together and introduce them to their other members. While they had expected a response from Namjoon to let them know they were welcome, nothing of the sort came, no reply to let them know that they had gotten the message. They thought that maybe Jeongin didn’t give them enough time to reply and that his wisp was already on its way back but for now, they decided to head towards the house that lay a few hundred yards ahead of them. 

 

“Wow, this is a pretty nice place,” Hyunjin whistled, glancing at every aspect of the large bungalow that stood in front of them. Surrounded by countless flowers with vines slowly climbing up the side of the building, it looked like something out of a fairytale, the Alchemist thought, somewhere that he expected to see wild animals and princesses singing sweet melodies as they danced around the garden. The scent of the sea hit his nose instantly and even if he couldn’t see it, he could definitely hear the waves beating off of the withered stones in the distance. If this was where Jisung, Changbin and Minho had fallen after their showdown with Gyujin, he thought them rather fortunate to be able to rest and recuperate in a place as lovely as this. 

 

Jisung hurriedly pulled Minho along by the hand, excited about seeing their friends again and stood in front of the speckled, emerald doorway that they had walked out of all those weeks ago. Nearly a minute after they had knocked the first time, the boys decided to try again and again, fearing they would not be getting an answer. Eventually, they heard quite footsteps approaching them. 

  
“Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Stop banging already!” 

 

Jisung smiled bashfully while retracting his hand and awaiting somebody to open the door. He knew from the slightly bored tone with an agitated tint that it was Yoongi coming to answer their call. They admittedly hadn’t spent as much time with him and Hoseok as they had with the others but they already knew that he was a man of few words but held a fantastic character within himself as well as a warm tenderness that was not easily accessed. They waited excitedly as the door cracked open but the state of the man standing on the other side was not what any of the boys had been expecting.

 

“Yes? Can I help you with- Jisung? Minho? Changbin? What are you guys doing here?” 

 

“Hyung! What the hell happened to you? Are you alright?!” 

 

Jisung quickly ran up to Yoongi and grabbed his face, an action obviously not frequently bestowed upon the elder as his eyes blew wide when his cheeks were gently being cupped by the Thief. He immediately softened and guided Jisung’s hands back down to his sides. He would never let anybody know but he had a certain weakness towards the three boys who had used their home as refuge in their time of need. Their personalities alone were enough to make the crankiest of people fall in love with them. 

 

“I’m alright, Jisung. Nothing serious.” 

 

“What are you talking about, hyung?! You’ve got bruises all over your face! Your lip is sliced open! Are those nail marks? Who did this to you?” While Jisung had started voicing his worries in a high pitched squeak, by the end, his voice held a dark undertone that showed the others he was ready to put down whoever had done this to his friend. 

 

“Why don’t you all come in first? Sorry to those of you who haven’t met me before. I swear, I don’t always look this bad. Just an occupational hazard. My name is Yoongi but we’ll get through the proper introductions later. We didn’t know you guys were coming though.” 

 

“Huh? You didn’t? We sent Namjoon hyung a message to let you guys know that we were on our way,” Changbin explained, worrying gaze trailing over Yoongi’s injuries that didn’t just seem to be confined to his face. 

 

“Ah, that makes sense. Namjoon is still unconscious.” 

 

“Unconscious?! Hyung, what the hell happened?” 

 

The man waved his hand a little towards Jisung, an action to let him know that he would explain in a bit once everyone was settled inside. Walking through the long corridors, Minho couldn’t help but remember how he had carefully strolled along them with Changbin to reach Jisung’s room all those weeks ago, wondering if he would be forgiven, wondering if he would even wake up but when he noticed that Jisung’s hand had managed to intertwine with his at some point, it immediately erased the unwanted memories that entered his head. 

 

“Hyung, who was at the door? I- Changbin! You’re back! I didn’t think we’d be seeing you this soon.” 

 

As Jimin yelped at the sight of the young boys returning, everyone in the room zoned in on them, bright smiles gracing their lips but ones that caused a few of the older members to grimace and groan as they put pressure on the wounds on their face. Jisung wasn’t quite sure what was after happening but the three other men in the room, as well as Yoongi, were shown to be beaten and bruised, looking like they had gotten their asses handed to them in a rather vicious assault. Jimin, Jungkook and Hoseok greeted the young boys with tired grins and little sighs that showed the former residents that they did not hold the same spirit that they had the last time they had seen them. 

 

“Jeez, what did you guys get yourselves into?” Minho questioned as Jimin pulled him in for a hug. 

 

“A bit of a long story, Minho,” Jungkook groaned.

 

“But one that we’ll tell you since we may not be able to entertain you guys for long.” 

 

Everyone immediately turned to look at Namjoon who stood in the doorway supported by Jin, seemingly the worst affected by whatever they had gone up against. His voice cracked slightly with his words but it remained unnoticed by his members as they ran to him in joy at seeing their leader up and about again. Namjoon slowly pushed himself away from Jin with a smile and walked over to Changbin to wrap his arms around his shoulders to welcome his back to his home, thankful that his offer for him to return with his members had not gone unheeded. 

 

“I was just going to begin treating all of their wounds. You guys take a seat here and we’ll explain in the meantime,” Jimin smiled though there was no luminosity behind it like there usually would have been. 

 

“I’ll help you out, hyung. I can take on some of the burden too. Think of it as payback for letting us stay here.” 

 

Jimin gawked at Changbin and his offer but he wasn’t about to deny the help when he was already pretty worn out from earlier in the day. Nodding his head thankfully, Jimin made his way over to Jungkook to begin his work while Changbin sat Namjoon down on the edge of the couch to begin treating him. 

 

“Apologies for this, you guys. This isn’t really how I wanted to meet the rest of your members,” Namjoon sighed, looking regretfully at the boys who stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do to help. 

 

“Nonsense, it was our fault for giving you such short notice. Besides, whatever happened to you guys is far more important to settle first,” Chan reassured. 

 

“So, what did happen?” Jisung took a seat beside Hoseok, earning him a slight grin and pat on the back. 

 

“I don’t think we told you guys about our situation the last time; it wasn’t really something we had time to focus in on. The village that’s the closest to our home is relatively small, there can’t be more than two hundred residents there but we all manage to get by. Though, because of its size, it doesn’t really have any proper defences. There are no walls to keep monsters or bandits out and no guards to put up a fight if anything does come to attack. When we decided to settle down here, we kind of took it upon ourselves to look after the village and the people living there since it was so susceptible to raids. It’s not like we’re in charge of the place but we do odd jobs, take requests to get rid of pests and when it comes to it, we fight to protect the area.” 

 

All of the boys nodded in understanding, quickly realising the type of people that these young men were and immediately knowing why Minho, Changbin and Jisung were so fond of them. 

 

“Recently, we’ve been hearing rumours from other villages and towns around the area that there have been random attacks with no apparent motive except for looting. This group of _ thugs  _ ransacking stores and threatening owners until they hand over what they want.” Namjoon’s words were practically dripping with venom and spite and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that this little story was the basis of why they had seemingly been beaten within an inch of their life. 

 

“We thought that they would eventually pass through our village and they did but they had far more men and were a lot stronger than the rumours we had heard.” The young man gestured to his face that Changbin was still working on but the scrapes and bruises were beginning to lessen in intensity thanks to the Medic’s strength and overall abilities. 

 

“They attacked earlier on this morning and we got the call from a kid who managed to get away without being caught. The seven of us went to fight but it didn’t end very well for us as you can see. Plus, they...they managed to get Taehyung.” 

 

The Medic’s hands quickly froze as they caressed the elder’s face while he stared wide eyed at the distressed Namjoon. He heard a quick intake of breath and knew that it was Jisung before even looking back. Taehyung was also a Thief and held the same bubbly and slightly eccentric personality that Jisung did and once the two of them had been introduced, it was like they had been friends for years, giggling and chatting the nights away. 

 

“They got him? You mean he’s…” 

 

Namjoon’s head shot up as he quickly shook his hands in front of him, eliciting a small yelp as he clutched at his ribs but felt the need to hurriedly clear up the misunderstanding. 

 

“No, no, he’s not dead but they’re holding him hostage at their base. They set up one just outside of town. During the fight when all of us were pretty much beaten, Tae was still trying to defend the people. A couple of kids that he likes to mess around with were almost being dragged away but he managed to free them and told them to run. It cost him though, they clocked him over the back of the head, knocked him out and took him easily since he was in a pretty bad condition. Before they left, they told us, in order to get him back, they wanted eighty thousand gold coins. It seems that our little village didn’t have enough for them to steal. They said they wanted it by midnight tonight or they would...”

 

Nails indenting themselves into his palms showed Woojin just how much Namjoon was agonising over the loss of one of his members and the fact that he had been powerless to stop it. He knew that feeling all too well, thinking back to Jisung and Minho not being by his side anymore and how it had caused far too many unwanted feelings to sickeningly claw at the back of his mind. 

 

“And do you have that kind of money, hyung?” inquired Minho as he sat in front of Namjoon now that Changbin had completed his work and had moved onto Jin. 

 

“I don’t know if we could get all of it together in that amount of time. We were thinking about asking the villagers for help but we don’t want to put someone’s life in their hands like that; it wouldn’t be fair. We were going to try and get him out of there quietly but with that many guys to go up against, I don’t think we’d fair better than we did last time,” Jungkook reasoned, flinching a little when Jimin put a bit too much pressure on his cracked rib. 

 

“And how many guys are we talking about here?” 

 

Jin seemed to calculate in his head how many of the men they had faced earlier on in the day as Hyunjin asked the question, eyes darting from side to side with a thoughtful look on his face. 

 

“Maybe forty? None of them weaklings either. It would have been stupid to rush into their base in the state we were in so we decided to come back here and get patched up before making a plan. Problem is that we don’t exactly know how to create a plan that will end happily. We’re afraid that they might attack the townspeople again if we don’t meet their demands and we know that Tae wouldn’t be happy with us if we let that happen.” 

 

Jisung thought that he really didn’t need to look back at his members to ask the question but he decided to anyways, glancing with a set determination on his face at Woojin and Chan who already seemed to be nodding their head vehemently at the unspoken question. 

 

“Then we’ll help you get him back.”

 

“No. That isn’t the reason that I told you about this. I just needed you to know why we may not be around for the rest of the day. It is our problem, you kids are not to get involved in this,” Namjoon ordered, looking Jisung straight in the eye with his warning. 

 

“Hyung, I mean this with the utmost respect but shut the hell up. Tae hyung is my friend too and we are going to get him back.” 

 

Pretty much everyone in the room side eyed Jisung as he told the leader of the household, the one who held so much power and had allowed them to stay in his home to keep his mouth shut and listen to him. Minho didn’t seem to flinch at Jisung’s directness, already knowing that once he made up his mind to do something, he would more than likely see it through. 

 

“We don’t want to put any of you in danger. You didn’t sign on for something like this when coming to see us.” 

 

“Oh, please. We’ve seen our fair share of danger. We don’t mind helping you out. Plus, we want to meet every single one of those who helped Jisung and the others,” beamed Felix, seemingly already on board with rescuing Taehyung in his time of distress. 

 

“Besides, I already kind of have a plan that may just work out if we can pull it off. One that could get Tae hyung back and get those guys to leave this place for good,” Jisung assured. 

 

“Really? What do you have in mind, Jisung?” Yoongi inquired. 

 

The Thief slowly tilted his head back, a cat like grin stretching his lips outwards as he glanced menacingly at Jeongin. 

 

“Ah, Jisungie hyung looking at me like that never spells out anything good for me.” 

 

* * *

 

“Bet you guys never thought you’d be going on a covert mission when coming back to see us, eh?”

 

As the evening set in, the sun slowly fell beyond the horizon and diminished all light around the group who made their way to the outskirts of town to rescue their missing friend. As Jisung had gone through his detailed plan, the younger boys had tried to quickly introduce themselves in the midst of all the madness. It seemed that Namjoon and the others could pretty much guess who they were based on how much Changbin and the others had spoken about them which did cause a bit of warmth to spread throughout their chests. 

 

The makeshift camp that the group were running towards was now cloaked in darkness, the only light coming from numerous fires set around the area, trying to keep the inhabitants warm and give them enough illumination to keep an eye on their surroundings. Just as Jin had said, there was close to forty men on the premises and when Minho activated his abilities to make sure, he counted forty one enemies but also reassured Namjoon that he could detect Taehyung’s aura too, burning bright and steady. 

 

“Ok, there seem to be a few of these assholes guarding the perimeter and that’s just what I was counting on. Namjoon hyung, you pick which one you want.” 

 

The young man quickly glanced around, knowing that they were on a strict clock to try and get Taehyung back as it edged closer to midnight. Seeing one particularly mean looking brute to the west of the camp by himself, Namjoon quickly pointed him out and this was all Yoongi, Jungkook, Hyunjin and Felix needed to know to disperse from the rest and head towards their target. 

 

Seeing the first part of their plan being put into action, Minho glanced at Jisung, nodding lightly before motioning for Changbin and Jimin to follow the two of them into the darkness of the night. The rest of the boys knew their mission and silently kept their positions until they were sure that they had given enough time to the others to complete their part of the operation. 

 

Jeongin started to feel a little nervous, knowing that the pressure of this mission came down upon him and how well he was able to use his abilities to finish the job that they came here to do. He knew it wouldn’t be easy to hide his trepidation from his members and when he felt a strong arm fall around his neck, he knew that Chan was far too perceptive to ignore how the youngest member of his team was feeling. 

 

“Innie, you’ll do great, no need to worry. We have a backup plan if something goes wrong but I am one hundred percent certain that we won’t need it. I trust you completely.” 

 

For all the times where Jeongin remembered doubting himself and his abilities, all of the times that it had caused so much strain on his body that he had actually passed out from the pain, it all seemed to be erased when he saw the look of belief in the Knight’s eyes, like he knew that Jeongin could do it without a shadow of a doubt. 

 

“Thanks, hyung. I’ll do my best. I think it’s nearly time to go.” 

 

Jeongin nodded towards the guard that Namjoon had picked out earlier, only to see Yoongi and Jungkook emerge from the shadows around them. Jungkook immediately put his Templar skills into play and clubbed the man over the head to make him fall unconscious. The boys had been educated on each other’s classes before they left the house as Jisung went through his plan with them, knowing that it would be an important detail to be wise to when fighting together. The first point was for Yoongi to use his Shadow class’s abilities to hide both himself and Jungkook in the darkness before making their way to one of the guards and essentially knock him out cold. They gently motioned for Felix to make their way over to them, with Sawa and Hyunjin walking quickly by his side. They hurled the man up onto the beast’s back which was met with an unappreciative growl due to the force. After apologising profusely to the feline, all of the boys made their way back as one of Hyunjin’s inventions covered them in a thick mist to avoid giving away their location. After about five minutes, they had returned to the others where they had left them earlier.

 

They dropped the unconscious man in front of Jeongin, letting the youngest boy slowly glance over his features before nodding that he was sure he could do it. Slowly calling his Fetch to his side, he greeted the spirit with a firm salute a mischievous grin, one that was returned to him tenfold by the ghost. While the talent of a Fetch was that it could change into anyone else once their master got a good look at the person, the spirit itself didn’t have a recognisable body of its own. It held the shape of a human but was pitch black in everything except for its eyes, which burned a fiery red and sharp canines that slipped over its lips. The Fetch quickly took on the appearance of the guard which the others had managed to incapacitate and awaited further instruction from Jeongin. 

 

“Ok, that’s the first one. I’ll try and summon the second now, alright?” Jeongin noticed the look of hope from all those who surrounded him as his fingers twitched slightly. He whispered the words into the air until his Banshee had come to join him at his side. Bowing with grace, Jeongin kept a neutral face as he stared at the graceful spirit in front of him. 

 

_ “Dia duit, mo Bantiarna,”  _ Jeongin greeted jovially. 

 

_ “Agus tráthnóna maith duit,  _ _ mo chara _ _ ,”  _ the Banshee replied cordially. 

 

Chan looked between the ghost and Jeongin, wondering how the young Necromancer had managed to pick up the language of the spirit and also why he had chosen to do so since he knew that Jeongin could control those he called on in whatever language he wished. 

 

“My Lady, I have a request of you if you do not mind. We wish to get one of our friends back who these men have taken. They wish to exploit others for their own gain and threaten to kill if their demands are not met. Would you be so kind as to help us out, please?” 

 

Everyone within Namjoon’s group gazed at the spirit in awe, obviously never having seen something like this before. Chan couldn’t fault them for that, he had been exactly the same the first time he had come into contact with the Banshee and even now he was still amazed that Jeongin could do something as amazing as this. 

 

_ “Of course, my dear. Such thoughtlessness cannot go unpunished. I shall happily bestow my services to you. What is it that you require of me?”  _ the woman whispered. 

 

As Jeongin went into the details of the plan with the ghostly woman, Seungmin calmed his breathing, knowing he would have to put an enormous amount of pressure on his energy. Well, he didn’t  _ have  _ to but he was going to, all to make this performance more believable. That’s all this plan really was: a performance. It was crazy, it was risky and so, very Jisung. Of course he was the one to come up with something as mad as this but really, the Illusionist knew that it probably had a pretty high chance of success. 

 

“Minnie, you alright? Don’t put too much strain on yourself.” He slowly felt Hyunjin’s chest against his back, a reassuring hand resting on his stomach to let him know that he would get through this, a light kiss on the back of his neck for good luck. 

 

“I’m alright, Jinnie. I know I can do this. Innie, I’m ready when you are.”

 

The Necromancer had finished explaining his plan to his Banshee and turned to Woojin to see if he was also ready to complete his part of the arrangement. Once he nodded that he was, they knew it was time to move onto phase two. 

 

* * *

 

Moving in the dead of night without being caught was something that both Jisung and Minho had always excelled at but when they were trying to keep Jimin and Changbin hidden with them, it did become a bit of a challenge. The Thief knew it was dangerous to attempt something like this when there were so many enemies in the vicinity but if they were going to get Taehyung out in time, then they needed to act now. 

 

“Ok, you two are going to stay here and out of sight. Don’t let anyone see you guys, ok?” 

 

“Jisung, you make it sound like we’re amateurs. Jimin hyung and I can take care of ourselves. Just make sure you don’t screw up on your end,  _ ok _ ?” Changbin chided, earning himself an apologetic look but one that was immediately followed by Jisung violently sticking his tongue out at the Medic, causing Jimin to stifle a giggle.  

 

“Just bring him back to us, Jisung. I believe that you and Minho can do that.” 

 

“Will do, Jimin hyung, no worries. Nothing in the whole wide world can beat the awesome team that is Minho and Jisung! Let’s go!” 

 

Jisung sprinted off into the night, leaving behind a slightly exasperated Minho who glanced backwards at the two healers before following the Thief into the bandit’s camp. 

 

“They’re both quite a handful, huh, Changbin?” 

 

“Hyung, you have absolutely no idea…”

 

Once they had managed to maneuver over the fence that had been set up around the perimeter with feather light steps, Minho and Jisung found a spot to crouch down to let Minho activate his abilities once again to get a more accurate location on Taehyung’s whereabouts. Minho pointed to the north but also whispered down low that there were a few guards patrolling around his cell. Though, as a combined force, both boys knew that they could take down a few men with relative ease. Further and further into the camp they snuck until they were only a couple of feet away from Taehyung. The bright, cyan hair stood out immediately but the crusted blood caking his face contrasted greatly and made Minho’s stomach turn. They wouldn’t let these guys get away with doing something like that to their friend but he thought Jisung’s plan would be effective enough to cause them enough terror. 

 

Lightning speed reflexes saw both Jisung and Minho sweep past the guards and catch them unaware, putting them into a deep state of sleep as they nicked the pressure points around their bodies. Taehyung jolted upright, unable to see what was happening to the men who guarded his prison, raising his fists in front of him to defend against the unseen threat. Carefully glancing around him into the night, he jumped back as far as he could when an awfully familiar face popped up straight in front of him. 

 

“Hey, Tae hyung! Boy am I happy to see you! You alright?” 

 

“J-Jisung?! What the fuck are you doing here?!” Taehyung whisper shouted, wondering why his fellow Thief was in a place such as this, apparently risking everything to get him out.

 

“If you want to be alone, hyung, we understand. Come on, Jisung, let’s go.”

 

“Minho! That’s not what I fucking meant and you know it! Why are you guys here? Does Namjoon hyung know?” Taehyung questioned, glancing around the area in case more guards decided to show up and put an abrupt end to the conversation that he was having with his friends that he hadn’t seen in some time. 

 

“Does he know? Please, you think that we would be here when he isn’t? He’s waiting on the perimeter for you. All of your team is. They’ve been agonising over not having you by their side,” Jisung quipped, knowing that he wasn’t imagining the look of relief that spread across the older Thief’s face in hearing about how loved he was. 

 

However, Taehyung’s eyes immediately cast themselves downwards, a scowl forming on his face as a result of the thoughts that managed to wiggle their way to the forefront. 

 

“You guys, I appreciate you coming all this way for me but I can’t just leave. These assholes will go back and attack the village if I end up disappearing. I can’t allow that to happen, not because of me.” 

 

“Hyung, don’t worry about that. This is all a part of the plan. Jisung made up one so that your absence probably won’t even be noticed and it will get these pricks out of here too. We’re hoping that another side effect will be that they’ll think twice about attacking villages again in the future. So, what do you say? You ready to get out of here?”

 

Contemplating Minho’s promises, Taehyung quickly glanced up, realising that if the boys said that they had a foolproof plan, then who was he to doubt them? 

 

“Am I ready to get out of here? Hell yeah I am. One thing, you guys are gonna have to carry me cause my leg is pretty fucked up.” 

 

* * *

 

“Wonsik, go and check on the prisoner. He only has another hour or so for his friends to show up with the ransom or he won’t have his head on his shoulders for much longer.” 

 

“Who died and made you queen, hyung? Go and check on him yourself.” 

 

As the group of bandits sat around a billowing fire, they drank and cackled into the open air as they awaited the arrival of Namjoon with the money to release his friend. They knew that the man wouldn’t simply leave his teammate with the way he had pleaded with them not to take him away in the first place. All they needed to do now was wait. 

 

As it edged closer and closer to the hour of midnight, a strong wind picked up around them, enough to make them shiver and put their arms around themselves to shield their bodies from the cold. It seemed odd that such weather had come out of nowhere but they were so lost in their merriment and drunken states that it really didn’t play on their mind for too long. 

 

“Hey, do you guys hear that?” 

 

Several of the bandits whipped their head around towards their member who had asked the question and all ears seemed to perk up at the sound of a sweet but eerie melody floating through the air. It almost seemed to make them tense up on the spot, a weird sense of dread working its way up from their toes. They couldn’t seem to pinpoint the exact location but before they could think any further on the subject, a loud scream was heard, making everyone stand to attention with weapons in hand. Running towards them at an incredible speed was one of their own, arms flailing and feet tangling beneath himself trying to get to his group. 

 

“Hyung! A ghost! There’s something chasing me! Don’t let her get me!”

 

The leader of the group, a man with long, scraggly hair and beady eyes, came to the forefront of his men, glancing down at the ground and the terrified remnants of one of his best fighters. 

 

“A ghost? You can’t be fucking serious. There’s no such thing as…”

 

The man couldn’t help but trail off when he saw the figure of a ghostly woman gliding slowly towards all of them, reddened eyes dripping with irritated tears as she came closer. A few of the bandits were so horrified by the spirit that they turned to run but were stopped by hundreds of luminous green skeletons that were scattered around the perimeter, essentially locking them in with no escape. Terrified murmurs and shaky hands showed the leader that he was not the only one imagining this; it was a real nightmare come to life. 

 

Jeongin admitted it was damn near impossible to contain his laughter upon seeing the men who held such a pompous attitude in the beginning fall into screams and shouts as they came face to face with his spirit. Woojin had been the owner of the ghostly and sinister voice, the one that made the guards aware that they were not alone anymore and allowed them to gather their attention. The man that had alerted them to the location of the Banshee had been the young Necromancer’s Fetch and Jeongin was rather impressed with the theatrical act it was managing to pull off. On his left side, Seungmin was pouring as much energy as he could into creating the army of skeletons that looked like they were acting alongside the Banshee. All of them an illusion but one that seemed to be striking fear into the hearts of the awful and brutish men who were now cornered in their camp. 

 

_ “ _ _ Is ceann de’s na h-óinseacha diabhail thú. I hear you gentlemen have been trespassing upon my land. Scourging the people that I have given my blessing to. I cannot allow this to go unpunished.”  _

 

Many of the men looked ready to drop from the way their legs were shaking beneath them, staring wide eyed at the apparently pissed spirit in front of them. The leader attempted to show some bravery but was immediately betrayed by how his voice quivered when he tried to speak. 

  
“I-I have n-no idea what you’re talking about, woman.” 

 

The Banshee cocked an eyebrow, bending down towards the man who had addressed her in such an informal tone, something which she did not seem to appreciate. 

 

_ “Buachaill, you will not speak to me in such a manner. With the snap of my fingers, I can take your life.”  _

 

As proof of her powers, the Banshee did just that. Swiping her fingers together, a click resounded throughout the camp and the man who had run to warn his team about the impending arrival of the ghostly woman disappeared into thin air. 

 

Now, to an outsider like the bandits, it did indeed look like the Banshee had managed to erase one the men who had attacked Namjoon’s village, which obviously caused a rise in panicked states amongst the men in front of her. However, to those who were in on the plan, they all knew that Jeongin had managed to time it perfectly. As the Banshee snapped her fingers, he whispered his chant to dismiss his Fetch, effectively making him disappear at the exact moment that the Banshee wished for him to begone. Even louder screams flew into the open sky as the men believed one of their team had been whisked away to the afterlife. They once again tried to make a break for it but Seungmin merely stopped them with the help of his skeleton warriors that guarded the perimeter. 

 

_ “However, I am nothing if not fair. I shall give you one chance to right your wrongs.”  _

 

Snapping her fingers once again, shadows swelled up from the ground, courtesy of Yoongi and emerging from them was the body of the man who Jungkook had knocked out earlier, apparently back from the land of the dead in the eyes of his comrades. He immediately sat up, scratching his head, wondering what the hell was after happening to him but once he saw the ghostly woman in front of him, he quickly shut his mouth. It seemed that their leader was now of the same mindset, only keeping his eyes locked on the threatening lady in front of him who apparently had powers beyond their wildest dreams. 

 

_ “You will leave this place, you will never return and you will cease attacking villages for your own personal gain. I am not the only spirit of my kind out there and many are not as compassionate as I. If I ever see or hear of your group doing anything dubious ever again, I will hunt you down and suck the souls from your bodies. You will wish to scream because of the pain I will inflict but nobody will be able to hear you. I will drag you to Hell and you will stay there for all eternity. Am I making myself clear, buachaill?”  _

 

As she asked the question, the fires around them blazed high and mighty, sparks and embers jumping into the night sky and making the men cower ever more at the thoughts of being condemned to the underworld because of their lecherous ways. 

 

Namjoon focused in on the flames, using his Black Mage abilities to add fuel to the fire, as it were. Making them expand as much as he could, he tried to time it right as the Banshee spoke to the shaken men. As he did this, the group of young boys around him let out a deafening shriek, one that was, according to Jisung, supposed to imitate all those who the Banshee had dragged to Hell before. Of course, Jisung always had a flair for the dramatic. 

 

_ “Now, get out of my sight. Droch chrích ort.”  _

 

It took all of two seconds for the men to grab their belongings and barrel through the opening that the skeletons had made for them, letting them stumble and fall to try and get away from the woman and her rather violent threats. It seemed that they didn’t even take a look to see if Taehyung was still in his prison, which he wasn’t, courtesy of Minho and Jisung who had extracted the Thief just before the woman had made her way into the camp. On the edge of the forest, he was now being treated by Changbin and Jimin, the latter pressing a chaste kiss the young man’s forehead once he saw that he was safe and in seemingly good spirits now that he was free of the bandits’ clutches.  __

 

Once they were sure that they were alone, both groups let out a yell of victory, knowing that it was their teamwork and careful planning that had allowed them to rescue their friend and also stop a group of bandits from attacking innocent people again. 

 

Seungmin released a breath as his skeletons disappeared into the ground, crumbling away until there was nothing left. Staggering a bit because of his use of energy, he felt the reassuring grip he always knew would be there fall around his waist to keep him upright, smiling brightly at Hyunjin who looked so unbelievable proud of the boy he loved for managing to pull off such an illusion. 

 

Walking out into the surrounding field, Jeongin met with his Banshee, the brightest of smiles letting her know how thrilled he was with her performance. 

 

“My Lady, thank you so much. You are truly amazing. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this.” 

 

Jeongin almost thought that the Banshee was glancing at him fondly, though he wondered why that would ever be the case. 

 

_ “Mo stór, there is nothing to repay. I am always here to offer my services should you need it. Just make sure to keep on the right track in your morals and I shall always be happy to remain by your side.”  _

 

The Necromancer nodded fervently to let the woman know that she would have nothing to worry about on that front. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Minho and the others return, supporting Taehyung between them, though he could see that first aid had already been administered to him from the healers following closely behind. It seemed that the Tracker’s eyes widened slightly when he saw that the ghostly woman was still here but he relaxed slightly when the Banshee simply bowed towards him with a smile before he returned the greeting. After thanking the woman one last time, Jeongin swiftly let her return to the other side. 

 

By the time he had turned around to face the others, Taehyung was being enveloped by his members, worried murmurs and grateful sputterings falling from their mouths. 

 

“Everyone, thank you so much for coming for me. I mean, I knew these guys would come eventually but they would probably would have gotten their asses handed to them again. Ow! Jin hyung, it was a joke. You’re not the only one who can make them, at least mine are good!” Taehyung bellowed, leaning on Jimin to stable himself a bit. 

 

Walking back to the village, even more thanks were thrown towards the younger group of boys for their assistance, especially Jisung for his rather dramatic plan that had helped them out. 

  
“Coincidentally, why did all of you come back here? Did you really miss us that much?” Hoseok joked but when he saw the boys’ faces fall, he thought that maybe his bubbly tone didn’t have a place in this moment. 

 

“They came back because they’re going to take on the Fortress in a few weeks. That’s what your message said, right?” It seemed to come as a shock to everyone except Namjoon and Jin, the only two who had heard the message that Jisung had sent to them earlier in the day. Neither of the men had time to relay it to the others since their day had been occupied with something far more important. 

 

“Wait, you are? Why?!” Taehyung squealed, flinching a little when he put too much pressure on his leg that hadn’t been healed yet. 

 

“Just felt like it was time.” Minho knew he would get tired of using the same excuse over and over again but nobody really had a better one to explain why they were going to the Rautaja Fortress without revealing why it was that they needed to go. 

 

“Tae, if this is their decision, no matter how much I’d rather that they not go, then we’re going to respect it. After what we saw today, I think we can safely say that they’re more than ready for something like this,” Yoongi reasoned as he noticed the nine thankful smiles that were sent his way. 

 

“If it’s alright with all of you though, we’d love to spend a few days together to get in some quality time before we go,” Changbin grinned, knowing that none of the elder boys would have a problem with their wishes. 

 

“We’d love nothing more. Come on, you guys deserve to be treated like kings after what you all managed to pull off. Jin hyung, you’re cooking tonight!” Jungkook sang. 

 

“What? Why me?!” 

 

They spent the night lost in conversation, drinking and eating until they felt like they were going to explode. It carried on like this for days, allowing Chan and the others to catch up on some well deserved rest and relaxation with the young men who they got to know exceedingly well over the time they spent in the their home. Namjoon and the others had saved Jisung, Changbin and Minho and they were glad that they were able to return the favour. They wished they could have stayed longer but if they wished to visit their other friends, they would have to leave and be on their way. For now, all they wanted was to bask in the happiness that was surrounding them, the light and love coming from old friendships and developing ones too. Moments like this made them realise that there would always be things within Phantasm that made their time here more than bearable, it made it worthwhile. 


	44. Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. Continuing with the reunions and travelling back to DAY6. I love writing Jae so much. Well, on we go!

“I think you guys are really gonna love them. They’re all so awesome, a little loud to be sure but we are too so, it’s alright!” Felix beamed, pulling on Jeongin’s hand to try and get to their destination faster but the other members of the group kept a steady pace, knowing that they would be arriving soon anyways.

 

The bright skies above them allowed the group of friends to traverse the long and winding paths with ease, the gentle breeze preventing them from overheating as the sun gently glowed overhead. It had been rather difficult to pry themselves away from Namjoon and the others, both physically and emotionally. Taehyung had clung to Jisung pretty much the whole time, muttering something about how ‘he wasn’t letting his baby squirrel go so that he could try to defeat some fucked up castle’. It took almost thirty minutes for Jisung to try and reassure the older Thief that they would be ok and that they would eventually see each other again and as much as Taehyung wanted to bite back, he wouldn’t allow their farewell to be filled with anything but hope and happiness. Namjoon had wished them immense luck, handing over a few strength and defense potions as well as a satchel full of gold coins which the elder members quickly pushed away with outraged and embarrassed yelps. Yet, they still found themselves holding said satchel after Namjoon had thrusted it back into their hands with a wide and teary grin.

 

“You guys will want to buy some new equipment before you go in. There’s a town at the base of the Fortress. Nobody lives there, it’s a ghost town with no name, supposedly haunted by those who could not make it through the trials, so people tend to avoid it if necessary but that’s where most teams rest the night before they enter Rautaja. A few merchants with exceedingly powerful gear sometimes set up on the outskirts of the town and offer people who are heading off to attempt the Fortress their wares. You take this money and put it to good use, do you guys understand? I want all of you to be as prepared as you possibly can heading into that place.”

 

Chan and Woojin nodded solemnly at the Black Mage, thanking him profusely for his generous offer and encouraging words. Namjoon sighed with nervousness before turning to Changbin and pulling him into a hug.

 

“I know this is pretty much what I told you the last time you left my home but make sure to take care of yourself. I see that habit of putting your members first hasn’t disappeared but I suppose that just makes you the wonderful person you are. I’m really proud of you, Bin and I wish you the best of luck. We’ll see each other again, of that I’m sure.”

 

Changbin bobbed his head hurriedly, yelling at himself internally that he was not to let his tears spill over. Once they had managed to free Jisung from Taehyung’s grasp, the boys began to walk towards their new destination as the sun was slowly starting to rise overhead. Waving at the group of young men which they held such loving feelings towards, they kept their eyes locked onto their forms until they could no longer see them, their shadows blending into the distance.  

 

It had taken them almost five days to reach the next destination on their expedition, all of them looking forward to spending some down time with the group of boys that had saved Felix, Seungmin and Woojin in their time of need. While Seungmin and Woojin were exceedingly excited about meeting their old friends again, nothing could beat Felix’s enthusiasm for getting back to Ourlo to let Jae know that he had managed to summon yet another beast. Trying to get used to using as many beasts as he could at the same time, Felix let all three of his beasts roam free in front of him and while he did feel his energy gradually slipping, he felt like he could handle it for a little bit longer. Mani sat atop Sawa’s head while the Nokkedi kept her eyes on Lika as he flew above them, alabaster flames being amplified by the sun’s radiant rays. All of the boys had been rather shocked when Felix had returned from his fight with Jackson and Bambam only to see yet another beast sitting upon Hyunjin’s shoulders and knew immediately that Felix had progressed yet again by summoning a third beast and an exceedingly beautiful one at that. It didn’t take very long for Mani and Sawa to warm up to their new comrade, though the little fox couldn’t seem to grasp why it was that he couldn’t sit on Lika’s back as he could with Sawa, not understanding that the bird had no physical body to support him.

 

“Look! I can see their house! I told them that we’d be arriving at some point today with one of Innie’s wisps. Let’s go!”

 

Jeongin could no longer maintain his pace as Felix urgently dragged him forwards towards the quaint house situated in the middle of miles of open grasslands. The youngest boy finally managed to retrieve his wrist once they had both reached the door before Felix daintily knocked upon it, eagerly waiting for a response. It took all of two seconds before the boys heard pounding footsteps as the door was immediately pulled open to reveal a rather tall man with fluffy, blond locks, a smile rivaling the sun in its brightness.

 

“Jae hyung! Hi-”

 

“My babies are back! I missed you so much! I thought you might never come back to see me, I was about to die of loneliness!” Jae squealed, hugging Felix close to his chest and swaying rather violently from side to side as the younger Beast Master tried to break free.

 

“Hyung, it’s been like three weeks and you live with four other people.”

 

“I don’t care! I- oh, right, it’s not just the three of you this time, huh? Well, don’t just stand there, come in, come in! I need to be introduced to the rest of my children!”

 

Throwing each other confused looks, the boys quickly filed in behind Jae as they took in the rather homely atmosphere of the house they were being ushered into. What smelled to be home cooking wafted through the halls and urged them towards the kitchen to which Jae was now walking into. Numerous pots and pans sat on the stove, one boiling over with some red liquid before Jae hurriedly rushed over to turn down the heat, cursing under his breath. Once he was sure that the dinner he was preparing for all of them wouldn’t be burned to a crisp, Jae once again turned around to face all nine boys in a rather animated manner.

 

“Ok, ok, ok. I’m gonna try and guess who all of you are before you say anything. First we have Felix, not all that interesting. Next!” Jae snorted, gently pushing the younger Beast Master’s head as he knocked him out of the way.

 

“Hyung,” Felix whined with his perfected look of mock hurt making his lip jut outwards.

 

“Yah, Lixie, you know I’m just messing with you.” Jae quickly pulled the other towards him and pushed away his fringe before planting a soft peck on his forehead.

 

Chan was sure that he imagined it at first, Changbin barely tensing up from the corner of his eye but when he noticed the Medic’s eyebrows knitted together as he watched the intimate exchange between the two Beast Masters, he thought that it may not have been his imagination.

 

Jae continued down the line of boys, stopping to inspect them before guessing who it was they were. He had no problem telling Hyunjin apart from the rest, the boy standing a head above most of his other members. Even if he didn’t know who Seungmin was, it would have been rather easy to distinguish him as he laid into the raven haired boy’s side. They hadn’t even been together the last time all of the boys had been here but between the two youngest members constant bickering on the subject, he pretty much got the gist of Seungmin’s feelings for the Alchemist. He ruffled Seungmin’s hair, a little action to show how happy he was to see the boys who spent time in their home all those weeks ago return. Jae eagerly pulled at Jisung’s, as he called them, ‘squishy cheeks’ and immediately figured out who Minho was when his signature ‘high pitched giggle’ came into play when he saw Jisung trying to struggle from the hold. Chan couldn’t help but relate so very much when the elder man fell in front of Jeongin and cooed over how adorable their maknae was, much like his own. Standing in front of Woojin and Chan, Jae sighed longingly, knowing what it was like to be the eldest in the group and trying to be the voice of reason sometimes but admired them all the same as he let them know that they were doing such a great job in leading their younger members since they were all so gracious and polite. He quickly hugged Woojin, letting him know that he was glad they had all made it back safely to their friends and that he should be very proud of the fact that he had protected his members on the road back home.

 

“And last but not least we have...oh, wait, there are six of you that I haven’t met? Felix only told me about five. He didn’t mention you, I’m afraid.”

 

Changbin’s face instantly dropped, an ashen tint drowning all colour from his once rosy cheeks as he looked on dumbfounded when Jae so casually let go that Felix had not told him about him. He began to wonder why that was, stressing over every little detail since, when Felix, Seungmin and Woojin had stayed with Jae, Changbin had already confessed his feelings for the boy. He glanced at Felix with slight hurt making his lips turn downwards as Jae had been able to identify all of the other members within a couple of seconds which showed just how much Felix had talked about his best friends while he stayed here.

 

Why hadn’t Felix mentioned him to Jae though? What was going on there? Why had he been trying to hide their relationship? A speckle of stupid doubt that hung at the back of Changbin’s mind was unwantedly coming to the front once again. That sickly persistence that tells Changbin every so often that maybe Felix doesn’t love him quite as much as he loves Felix because, why would he? Maybe it’s just because they’re stuck inside this game that Felix latched onto him. Maybe it’s just a case of transference, that Felix only fell in love with him because he had saved his life since a ball of sunshine like Felix could have absolutely anyone in the entire world. He knows none of that is true, that Felix loves him because of who he is and what he stands for but that dot of godforsaken uncertainty will always manage to settle itself within his chest.  

 

Seeing the Medic look so distraught, Jae quickly rushed forwards and grabbed Changbin’s hands, softly laughing as his joke seemed to have had the opposite effect that he wanted and made the boy recede into himself.

 

“Oh, come on, Changbinnie. Do you honestly think Felix would talk about all of his members but not mention the boy he was in love with? I was only kidding, I know a hell of a lot about you already. It’s nice to finally meet you!”  

 

 _‘You see? Of course Felix talked about you, moron. He loves you just as much as you love him. How could you ever doubt him like that?’_ Changbin scolded himself internally, forcing a small smile for the elder Beast Master who still held his hands in his.

 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Jae-ssi.”

 

“Oh, get that formal crap out of here! I’m your hyung and the same goes for everyone else in this room. Just treat me like you would the rest of your friends!”

 

Changbin nodded his head slightly, pulling his hands free from the other and shuffling backwards with his head hanging low, not noticing the slightly concerned look that Felix was giving him.

 

While they chatted and got better acquainted with one another, hearing about different escapades the temporary residents of the house had gotten into, including how Felix had broken their tv, the rest of Jae’s family returned home from the village where they were doing some last minute shopping to accommodate their guests.

 

“Seungminnie! It’s so great to see you again. Man, reuniting with your members was obviously a good move for you. You look fantastic!” Wonpil cheered, wrapping his arms around the boy who stood at exactly the same height as him, glancing over his shoulder at a raven haired boy beaming brightly and obviously awaiting to be introduced to the Illustrator. Hyunjin gave a little, enthusiastic wave to Wonpil as a small greeting before Seungmin saw who it was that the elder was staring at.  

 

“And this is-”

 

“Nope, wait, let me guess. You’re Hyunjin, right?”

 

“Uh, yeah, that’s me. How did you-?”  


Seeing the mischievous grin creep its way onto Wonpil’s face, Seungmin bounced forwards since it seemed that he had finally caught on to how the older man had known about the Alchemist before he had been introduced. Wonpil sidestepped just in time to avoid Seungmin as the boy went flying forwards and landed on the couch with a soft thud, making Hyunjin slightly worried before he was pulled by the arm towards Wonpil.

 

“You mean Seungminnie never told you how much he talked about you while he was here? Man, it’s like there wasn’t another person alive on the planet. It was always ‘Jinnie this’ and ‘Jinnie that.’ I think I know more about you than some of your friends do and Seungminnie was only here for three days!” Wonpil giggled as Hyunjin heard Seungmin groan while trying to hide his face amongst the pillows situated in front of him.

 

It took everything in Hyunjin not to burst into laughter when he saw the scarlet tint climbing up the back of the younger’s neck. However, Seungmin was quick to compose himself and rush towards Wonpil before dragging Hyunjin away from him and pulling him close to his side.

 

“You really wanna start this conversation, hyung? At least Jinnie knows about my feelings for him now. What about the object of your affection?” Seungmin sneered, eyeing the youngest member of Jae’s makeshift family as he laughed and tormented Woojin in the corner of the room.

 

Wonpil immediately paled and moved to tackle Seungmin as he saw the Illusionist move forwards towards Dowoon. They both came crashing to the ground, drawing many eyes upon them as Seungmin simply cackled maniacally and Wonpil laid into him by digging his fingers into his sides.

 

“Hyung, hyung! I won’t say anything, I promise! I would never! Not when he doesn’t know,” promised Seungmin as he saw Wonpil visibly relax as his shoulder sagged and he let out a very relieved breath.

 

Hyunjin hurriedly helped them both up, kissing Seungmin on the cheek as he wrapped his arms around his waist. “Wah, Minnie, I was all you talked about? You must really think a lot of me, huh?”

 

“Jinnie, shut the hell up. We are literally in a relationship right now, dumbass.”

 

The Alchemist once again let go a hearty laugh as he fell onto the couch with Seungmin, continuing to speak with Wonpil and all they had gotten up to over the time that his friends had stayed with the older group of men. Dowoon eventually joined them, making Wonpil freeze up a little when he basically sat on his lap but immediately relaxed when the conversation flowed easily and naturally, erasing any form of uncomfortableness around them.

 

Felix bounced up to Jae and quickly wrapped his arms around the young man’s waist as he stood at the stove and tried to tend to all of the food that was supposedly going to fill fourteen hungry mouths fairly soon. He turned the knob as the gas flickered and shut off before he turned to face the red headed boy.

 

“Did you miss me that much Lixie? You haven’t stopped hugging me since you got here! Not that I’m complaining, I’m just curious,” Jae beamed, providing Felix with the cuddles he seemed to be chasing.

 

“Of course I missed you, hyung. I told all of my friends about you and the other hyungs and how awesome you were. Though, I did also mention that you were a bit of a weirdo but so are all of us, so they didn’t seem to mind.”

 

That earned Felix plentiful tickles as he squirmed and tried to get away but Jae held him firm against his chest as he continued his torture. His instincts came into play when he felt a weird and dangerous presence surround him and looked up to find the source of the energy, only to see Changbin downright glaring at him before quickly averting his gaze. That made him immediately stop playing with the freckled boy, wondering what it was that made the Medic look at him that way. He eventually brushed it off when Changbin returned to his normal self but remained silent and detached from the conversation, seemingly unaffected by the fact that Jae had caught him with such a murderous look in his eyes.

 

As the day went on and they sat down to eat their meal, Jae continually chatted with Felix, tickling him, poking and squishing his freckled cheeks whenever he got the chance but on more than one occasion, he felt that threatening energy fall down upon him and each time he looked up he saw Changbin’s eyes holding so much contempt in them that he was beginning to worry that he would burn a hole in his face from the intensity of it. The elder Beast Master continually tried to start up a conversation with the Medic, not only to see what all of the fuss was about but since he had genuinely wanted to get to know the boy that Felix had told him about, the one that owned his entire heart. However, Changbin seemed to have no interest in Jae’s ideas as he dodged the older man all day, trying to make it seem that he had other things to do. Although, from what Felix had told Jae about Changbin, which was a hell of a lot, it didn’t seem like he was a ‘talkative, sensitive ball of fluff’ as the younger Beast Master had called him. In fact, he had remained silent pretty much all day, barely even speaking to his own members let alone the other boys in the house.

 

Jae began to think that he was overreacting, that he couldn’t think of a reason that Changbin could possibly treat him that way when they had barely interacted, so he was about to let it go before he saw Felix glancing sadly at Changbin sitting in the corner of the room as the boys attempted some karaoke with the others. He came to the conclusion that Felix had caught onto something being wrong with Changbin as well. He wouldn’t say anything though, he felt that Felix would know what to do if something wasn’t quite right, he just hoped that he could get Changbin to stop looking at him like he wanted to fling him off of a cliff.

 

* * *

 

A million lights dancing across the darkening sky, Changbin inhaled deeply as he sat on the balcony of the second floor of the house and tried to relieve his thoughts. He was so annoyed and irritated, so incredibly mad. With himself. He had acted terribly today and he was sure that it had been noticed by more than one person but he was praying that was not the case. When he heard the door slide open as it was accompanied by the soft thump of footsteps, he knew the person that he really hoped hadn’t caught on had come to find him.

 

“You wanna tell me why you’re being such an antisocial bunny today? You literally haven’t said two words to anyone,” Felix quipped, trying to make the situation lighter but having very real concerns beneath the surface of his bright tone.

 

Changbin shook his head, plastering a faux smile on his face as he stared out into the open, starry sky above. There was no point in telling Felix about his thoughts that had developed earlier in the day; it would just end up making the younger boy upset if he knew Changbin was doubting the freckled boy’s feelings, even if he knew there was no reason to. He felt like an asshole for ever letting those emotions creep up on him like that when Felix deserved nothing less than having the most wonderful people surround him.

 

If there was anyone in Phantasm that could ever get Changbin to spill his secrets, Felix knew that he was it. Blocking the Medic’s view, Felix stood firm in front of him, grabbing his chin and directing his gaze back once Changbin tried to avert it.

 

“I saw the way you were looking at Jae hyung earlier, like you wanted to murder him. Why was that?”

 

Feigning complete ignorance, Changbin tried to stand up and walk away before Felix quashed any attempts at escape by sitting firmly on his lap, legs swung sideways over Changbin’s, making the Medic panic a little as the other wrapped his arms around his neck.

 

“Nuh uh, you are not going anywhere. You are gonna tell me what’s on your mind because I am _your_ person. I am the person that you talk to when you have something you want to get off of your chest. So, you are going to look me in the eye, Seo Changbin and speak to me.”

 

Felix had always held a weird sort of power over Changbin, he knew that ever since the first day he had met him but the Medic never thought it would get to the stage where he literally couldn’t disobey Felix anymore. Seeing the urgency in his eyes, Changbin reluctantly maintained eye contact but only managed to mutter out the string of words that made him feel like the worst person in history.

 

“I...was...jealous…”

 

“Huh? You were what? Don’t mumble, Binnie.”

 

“I said I was jealous, ok? I was jealous that you were being so touchy with Jae hyung. When he made that joke earlier about not mentioning me when you stayed here, I genuinely wondered why you would do something like that. My automatic reaction wasn’t ‘oh, I’m sure Jae hyung is just messing around, of course Lix would talk about me.’ It was ‘why the hell didn’t Lix want to talk about me with someone who he seems to really like and trust a lot?’ It made me feel that you might have been ashamed of me, that you didn’t think enough of me to speak about me or even that you might have liked Jae hyung more than me. It’s stupid that I would ever have those kinds of thoughts because I know for a fact that you would never be embarrassed about our relationship but these stupid ideas keep barraging me every now and then.”

 

Felix remained silent, his face in a stoic, expressionless state as he listened to Changbin ramble on and get his worries off of his chest.

 

“And it makes me feel like such an incredibly awful person when my dumb self becomes jealous over the fact that other people outside of our circle touch you, hug you or kiss you because I don’t know them all that well. There’s nothing to be anxious about because I know that’s the type of person you are, you love skinship and this possessiveness is a really ugly feature that I seem to have but I don’t know how to stop it. I’m sorry, Lix. Please don’t think I don’t trust you because I do, with my whole heart and I want you to live your life surrounded by people like Jae hyung who make you happy. This is my problem and I’ll try to erase it. I just didn’t want to tell you in case you got upset.”  

 

Somewhere in the midst of his speech, in the middle of wildly flailing his arms as he tried to pour all of his thoughts out in comprehensible sentences, Changbin’s eyes had lowered to the ground, slipping past Felix’s thighs as he remained seated on his lap. Deciding to bring them up to gaze at the Beast Master, Changbin was more than a little relieved to see that Felix had one side of his lips raised, a small smile present as he looked on with understanding and slight sympathy at the rather flustered Medic.

 

“That’s what’s been bothering you all day? That’s why you stayed in the corner like a broody teenager? Why you wouldn’t engage with anyone? Jeez, Binnie,” Felix sighed, running his hand through the sleek locks of the boy he loved. He really didn’t catch on to why Changbin had been so reserved today, not when he had been so excited to introduce the young men who had saved him to the Medic.

 

Changbin looked ashamed to say the least which Felix didn’t think was necessary. He reeled back a little when a specific point in Changbin’s verbose speech caught his attention. “You thought I liked Jae hyung more than you? Wait. Did you think I-? Ew, Binnie, no! He’s like a big brother to me! Strictly platonic. Man, you do have some weird thoughts, don’t you?”

 

Changbin groaned as he tried to hide his face in his hands, knowing that Felix must be thinking some pretty awful things about his hidden ideas at this stage. Still, he knew that the boy saw Jae as his hyung, someone that he completely trusted because of how he had so selflessly helped him when he had fallen through the portal with Seungmin and Woojin. He knew. He knew all of this but did that stop him mindlessly worrying over something he knew wasn’t a problem?

 

Seeing the raw despair in the other’s eyes as Changbin tried to deflect his stare from him, Felix couldn’t say that he wasn’t like that sometimes, wishing others wouldn’t get too close to Changbin and thought about one particular group of people who made him feel such irrelevant emotions.

 

“You know, when we first entered Morthan for the tournament and we met Jackson hyung and the others, I can say that I was pretty jealous too.”

 

The Medic finally managed to raise his head after it had hung so low to look at Felix as the Beast Master continually ran his fingers through his hair, making Changbin lean into the touch and close his eyes to savour the slight scratch of the boy’s nails against his scalp.

 

“You were? What were you jealous of?”

 

“That you were spending so much time with them and not with me. Up until then, it was just us and you paid so much attention to me all of the time and I’m not gonna lie, I adored that,” purred Felix as he shifted a little in his seated position. “But then, we met all of the others and you immediately ran to them and away from me. We weren’t even together back then, though I wanted nothing more to be honest.”

 

Now that was an interesting development to Changbin. For as long as he could remember, he had always seen Felix as more than a friend, even when he had tried to convince himself that the feelings that he held were nothing more than protective instincts. However, he never would have guessed that Felix had held such desires towards him for such a lengthy amount of time. Rather, he had persuaded himself that Felix would never return the advances of someone like himself.

 

“The night that we met them, I was trying to speak with you because I was lonely but you brushed me off and ignored me because you were talking with Mark hyung.”

 

“Lix, I said I was sorry for that. I didn’t even realise-”

 

“I know, Binnie but in the moment I couldn’t help but think about why these guys suddenly had to come in and ruin everything between us when it was going so well. That thought hung in my head for a long time and I began to realise that I was awful for thinking that about your friends who you loved so much and who were nothing but kind to me. So, believe me when I say that I understand where you’re coming from,” Felix hummed in understanding, thumbs sliding across the Medic’s cheeks with just a little pressure.

 

Knowing that Felix had already dealt with these kinds of feelings made Changbin feel somewhat more at ease but didn’t completely erase the feelings of self degradation that came about from basically disliking Jae from the beginning of the day all because he showered Felix with affection. That wasn’t a valid reason to dislike someone, that was obvious but the little devil that sat on his shoulder told him that he should be the only one placing kisses on the Beast Master’s forehead and holding onto his hand. He knew he could trust the other members of his team because, well, he knew all of them better than he knew himself at this stage and was certain that none of them held anything but brotherly love for the freckled boy.

 

“Do you think you’re not good enough or something, Binnie? Is that why you were so sure I was breaking up with you when I tried to throw you off before we surprised you with that birthday party?”

 

“I dunno. I think, more than anything, I spent so long telling myself not to feel anything for you because I was so sure that you wouldn’t feel anything for me that, now that we’re together, I don’t ever wanna let you go. It’s almost as if I’m afraid I’ll wake up from a dream and you won’t be there. Seems to have brought out some unattractive qualities though,” peeped Changbin, trying to pull Felix a little closer to reassure himself.

 

Noticing the party still raging inside, Felix stretched a little and was sure he saw Jae and Jeongin arguing before he realised they were playing Monopoly and something had apparently gone very wrong. He settled once again and nuzzled into Changbin’s neck before letting out an elongated sigh.

 

“Binnie, you’re human and jealousy is an emotion that all of us feel whether we want to or not. It makes us feel like a bad person at times, thinking that most people wouldn’t be selfish enough to feel jealous at something so trivial but it happens. You owning up to it is a huge thing and now you can move on and learn how to fix it,” Felix sang as he placed a couple of gentle pecks to Changbin’s jaw, making the Medic sigh in contentment.

 

“Fix it? How?”

 

“You said that you didn’t like anyone that was outside of our circle being close to me because you don’t know them that well. That was pretty much the reason that I disliked Jackson hyung and the others at first too but now, I love them a hell of a lot because we spent so much time together and I got to know them like you do. You now have a chance to rectify this. Let’s go inside and you can talk to Jae hyung a bit more, alright? He’s really nice and exceedingly funny, I think you’d get along well. Can you do that? For me?”

 

What was Changbin going to do? Say no to the boy he would do absolutely anything for? That wasn’t ever an option for the Medic. Nodding with a huge smile since he knew Felix wasn’t angry with him, Changbin let himself be led back to the house by the other, his hand being tightly encompassed in a much smaller one. It was slightly reassuring to know that he wasn’t alone in feeling like this, that Felix felt the unwanted emotion of jealousy peek it’s head up every now and then because others got too close to him. He didn’t want to feel like this but he did and he was going to try his damned hardest to put it right. Changbin knew that Felix had a point when he said that he would more than likely get along swimmingly with Jae and from what he had observed of the young man all day, he was inclined to agree.

 

Sliding the side door open, Felix stepped inside, still holding on tightly to Changbin’s hand. He felt the elder squeeze just a little bit as they joined the group once again but Felix made sure to squeeze back to let him know that he didn’t have to be so nervous about this. They finally came into the living room to see Jae pouting and curled up in a ball while murmuring something about Monopoly being a dumbass game that ‘should never have made it into Phantasm in the first place.’ Jeongin on the other hand seemed to be thriving as he held so many property cards in his hands before waving them around to show that he had pretty much already won the game. Upon seeing Felix and Changbin come back, Jisung hopped in Minho’s lap and waved them over to join them.

 

“We were just thinking about watching a movie. You guys interested?”

 

Before Felix could answer, Changbin moved forwards, sitting on top of Jisung and effectively crushing poor Minho underneath both of their weights as he groaned loudly for him to get off.

 

“I’m interested. What are we watching?”

 

“Jae hyung has a stack of movies over there. He said he wanted you to pick one out.”

 

“Huh? Me? Why?”

 

“How the hell am I supposed to know? Go and ask him yourself. Ah, hyung, you better get up. From the look on Min’s face if you stay there for much longer he may actually end up stabbing you,” Jisung squeaked as he looked at the murderous look of utter hatred that was directed straight at Changbin before the Medic slowly slid off and made his way over to the stack of movies on the floor.

 

Being so immersed in trying to get the perfect film for all of them to watch, Changbin never heard Jae slowly roll over to him from where he was last curled up on the floor.

 

“See anything you like?”

 

Jumping nearly a foot in the air, Changbin yelped and dropped the movies he had picked up in his hands. He placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart and stared down at Jae as he grinned widely at the Medic.

 

“Hyung, you scared me. U-uh, yeah, I found a few but can I ask, why are you letting me choose?”

 

Jae immediately became serious, shifting to sit up straight and cross his legs as he began to browse what he had to offer for all of them to watch in a moment’s time. “It just seemed to me that you weren't having very much fun today. Sorry about that, what I had planned for all of you probably wasn’t very interesting compared to what you’re used to.”

 

Apparently, he hadn’t been as subtle as he thought he was and his bad mood had spread to affect other people all day. He thought that since Felix knew him the best, only the freckled boy may have noticed that something was wrong with him but Jae, who he had only met earlier in the day, had picked up that Changbin wasn’t acting like his usual self. He needed to apologise and he needed to do it now because Jae had planned out a pretty fun day for them and Changbin had ruined it.

 

“No, you shouldn’t be sorry about anything, hyung. You allowed us to have some relaxation time today and that was really thoughtful of you. It was my problem, I was just being a child.”

 

“Oh? Um, stop me if I’m wrong but did it have something to do with me? I thought I saw you glaring at me a couple of times but I was kind of hoping that it was my imagination.”

 

“It...may not have been,” Changbin muttered, seeing Jae mouth a small ‘oh’ before shifting to sit in front of him, obviously waiting to hear what Changbin’s problem was.

 

After Jae’s eyes had basically begged for a reason, Changbin began to once again spill all of his feelings that he had previously let Felix know about. He felt that it was only fair to let Jae know since he had acted rather poorly. Jae let him explain, simply nodding and seeming to refrain from judging him in any way.

 

“Changbinnie, is this your first relationship?”

 

That caught Changbin off guard as he babbled a little before confirming that it was with the nod of his head. He mentioned that he had always been too busy in his life for something like that. Studying and part time work as well as his parents constantly breathing down his neck never allowed him time to have someone he cared about in his life; he wouldn’t have been able to give them the attention that they deserved.

 

“Mm-hmm, that makes a little bit more sense. You’re still learning about how to act and the ups and downs of it all. Felix told me how you guys actually met as well and I can understand how, out of anyone in the world, you would want to keep him safe and protected from someone like me who you don’t quite trust yet. No hard feelings about this, yeah? But you know, it may help you feel more relaxed if we got to know each other a little more. What do you think?” Jae propositioned, holding his hand out for Changbin to shake, wondering if the boy would take him up on his offer.

 

Yeah, he could see exactly what Felix meant when he said that Changbin would get along well with Jae and quickly took the elder Beast Master’s hand in his own. “Sorry about all this.”

 

“Nonsense, I get it. It happens but just know that I’m awfully protective of him too.” Jae squinted his eyes as he pulled Changbin closer to his face, trying to look at threatening as possible but being the type of person that he was, Jae couldn’t contain his smile for too long when he saw the fear in Changbin’s eyes.

 

“You guys are really taking on the Fortress, huh? Can you promise me one thing? Look after him for me.”

 

Whatever else they would discover as the night went on, one thing that Changbin knew he could rely on was how much they both loved Felix with all of their hearts.

 

“I would give my life up for him, hyung. I made a promise to myself and to him that I would never let anything harm him ever again. I promise to watch over him for the rest of my life, however long that may be.”   


Jae quickly moved a hand up to caress Changbin’s cheek, looking at him with the utmost respect but the Medic could also see the fear in his eyes at the thought of losing not only Felix but the rest of the boys who began to eagerly call on Changbin to hurry up and pick a movie to watch.

 

After deciding on some action movie that Jeongin began to bounce up and down upon seeing, Jae flopped down on the couch before he saw Changbin drag Felix over and motioned for him to take a seat beside his friend. The moment he did, Jae wrapped an arm around the younger boy’s shoulder and pulled him close, making Changbin grin since he had talked it out with the older Beast Master. He could finally see the type of person that Jae was and he was glad that Felix had yet another person to take care of him like that. Changbin took his place beside Felix and cuddled into his side as the movie began. He felt a warming hand on his neck and looked up to see Jae looking at him as he threw him a small encouraging wink, gesturing to Felix who already seemed to be nodding off before the movie even really began. Changbin pulled the freckled boy towards him, allowing him to rest on his shoulder as Felix subconsciously wrapped his arms around the Medic’s waist.

 

Jae moved to ruffle Felix’s hair as the boy stirred in his sleep and giggled a little as a small ‘Binnie’ fell from his lips.

 

“Thank you for looking after him, hyung. He’s become a different person since he stayed here and he seems much happier in himself.”

 

That was a fact that Changbin couldn’t deny. While Felix had become a tad more confident in his skills before they had all been separated, he could say that by the time they had reunited, Felix was in a much better place with regards to his abilities and confidence overall. Pushing back a couple of stray strands of hair, Changbin moved forwards to press the younger boy closer to his chest, smirking a little when Felix tightened the already strong hold around his middle.

 

“That was all him, Changbinnie. Thank you for taking care of him all this time too. You two are lucky to have each other and I know that you’ll be ok.”

 

Changbin wondered if that was true but he hoped that Jae was right. He would have to believe that he was right. They would all be ok.


	45. One lie has the power to tarnish a thousand truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And completing our journey for reunions, we're travelling back to our last destination, our other young Necromancer. I think most people were waiting for this one the most. Hope you enjoy!

Days of copious fun and sunshine were what awaited the boys as they spent time in Jae’s home. Felix would admit that he was more than a little bit surprised but at the same time very thankful that, by the time it had come to leave, Changbin seemed to be closer to the older Beast Master than he himself was. The Medic had realised that he was being overdramatic in the beginning and had patched things up with Jae rather quickly in the end. They had become the best of friends and it made Felix’s heart sing when two of the people he cared about immensely in the world were getting along so splendidly.

 

However, the time did come where they had to depart to go to their final destination before the Fortress itself. Jeongin was not so subtly fidgeting, hurrying the other members to pack up so that they could head on their way to meet back up with Yedam. Much to Felix’s surprise, Jae managed to hold himself together rather well when the young boys walked out the front door to leave. Of course, not before extensive cuddles were handed out to each and every one of them. The young Beast Master knew it would be painful, saying goodbye to all of them, knowing that they may never again meet but he was going to be strong, for Jae, for his members, for himself. They had left the comfort of the home surrounded by nature over a week ago and the further they got, the pain seemed to lessen in intensity but it still remained in leaving some dear friends behind.

 

Walking back through the streets of the place they had spent some of the most agonising nights of their lives all those weeks ago, Chan, Hyunjin and Jeongin couldn’t help but notice that the air within the small, quaint town had changed somewhat dramatically. It seemed to be livelier, more people bustling around the streets and adding to the overall appeal of the area. People seemed to be closing their stores after a lengthy and laborious day’s work had been completed, returning home to their loved ones for some well deserved rest and relaxation.

 

Jeongin had mentioned to Chan that he had actually decided against telling Yedam that they would be returning for a visit, hoping the element of surprise would be on his side. Chan kind of wondered why that was the case but decided to let it go; Jeongin probably just wanted to have a bit of fun. As they finally sauntered up to the door that they had walked out of to return to Haknal and reunite with each other, the group of boys was rather excited about meeting yet another saviour of their friends who had helped them out in their time of need. They had heard extensively about the type of person that Yedam was from all three former residents of the inn, with Jeongin being the most vocal. They already knew that they would get along very well with the younger Necromancer.

 

Bouncing through the front door, Jeongin noticed someone sitting behind the reception desk, a boy who looked to be a little older than him with dirty blonde hair. When he noticed the visitors, a wide smile immediately framed his face, urging them to stop standing in the doorway and come inside.

 

“Hi there! Are you guys looking for a room? Nine of you? Wow, that’s a lot but I think we can manage it. Pretty nice weather outside, huh? Are you from around here? No? Did you have to travel very far?”

 

It seemed that, even though they were being bombarded with questions, they weren’t going to be given enough time to answer one before another one was being thrown at them. Remembering all of the descriptions and stories that Yedam had told him, Jeongin quickly came to the conclusion who it was that was greeting them. Just about beating Changbin in height, the boy’s numerous earrings jangled as he walked back to the front desk, his mop of fluffy hair bouncing in rhythm with his steps. His smile instantly reminded Jeongin of Felix, a toothy grin holding nothing but sunshine in it.

 

“You’re...Hyunsuk-ssi, right?”

 

Promptly shutting his mouth and halting the string of questions, the boy looked downright befuddled that the stranger who had just entered the inn knew of his identity when he was rather certain that they hadn’t crossed paths before.

 

“Uh, yeah, that’s me. How did you-”

 

“Hyung, come here and taste this for me. If I have to hear Yedam complain that it’s too spicy again I’m going to wring his little-”

 

“Yah! Junkyu, not in front of guests.”

 

Quickly raising his head and ceasing stirring the pot he was holding, the newcomer quickly plastered a smile on his face, one that said he knew he had screwed up and by the look in Hyunsuk’s eyes, he would pay for it later. Delicate black locks curling around his forehead, Junkyu’s deep, starry eyes blinked a couple of times as he counted how many guests actually stood in front of him.

 

“Whoops, my bad. Sorry, hyung. I’ll come back in a little bit.”

 

“And you’re Junkyu-ssi. I’ve heard a lot about the both of you,” Jeongin hummed, immensely amused by the fact that his knowledge about the two boys was making them stare at him like he was some sort of clairvoyant.

 

“You...seem to know about us but we have no idea who you are,” Junkyu hesitated, eyeing the group of young men standing in front of him.

 

“Oh, sorry, my name is Jeongin and I-”

 

The Necromancer didn’t get to finish his explanation of who he was or rather, he didn’t seem to need to as Hyunsuk and Junkyu’s face immediately lit up at the mention of Jeongin’s name. Hyunsuk quickly rushed forwards, grabbing Jeongin’s forearms before bouncing excitedly.

 

“Oh my god! You’re Jeongin?! We’ve heard _so_ much about you! Did Yedam know you were coming? That sneaky little brat, he didn’t tell us to give us time to prepare! Seriously, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” Hyunsuk squealed, hurriedly pulling Jeongin into what looked to be a very painful hug.

 

It didn’t last too long as Junkyu shot forwards and unwound the older boy’s arms from around Jeongin, apologising profusely for his thrilled hyung’s antics. Jeongin quickly waved his apology away, stating it was not needed when so many of his members were constantly doing the same thing to him.

 

“Yedamie actually didn’t know that we were coming. We wanted it to be a surprise. Is he here?”

 

Hyunsuk nodded enthusiastically before pulling on Junkyu’s arm and leading him away as Seungmin was sure he heard the eldest whispering, “Yedamie. He calls him Yedamie. That’s so freaking sweet. I love this kid already.”

 

Standing in the hall and waiting for the others to return, Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice the atmosphere of the inn which they had stayed in had shifted but in a rather welcome direction. The smells of lemon and caramel wafted from the kitchen, making the Alchemist’s stomach grumble and from the way he was acting earlier, he could only assume that Junkyu was the one to thank for such an alluring aroma. Numerous people were seated in the lounge, filling the area with chit chat and warmth. Music flowed throughout the room, making the air seem exponentially lighter than the last time they were here.

 

“What the hell?! Jeongin?”

 

Hearing Yedam’s voice without it being slightly distorted through the wisp caused Jeongin’s heart to swell and seeing the more than confused look on the youngest boy’s face caused him to burst into elated giggles.

 

“You just gonna stand there or are you gonna welcome us back?” Jeongin questioned, promptly opening his arms as he saw Yedam come flying towards him for a hug, the wind swiftly being knocked out of him as he tried not to fall to the ground from the force of Yedam coming into contact with his body.

 

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” Yedam beamed, still not leaving go of Jeongin but directing the question to the boys situated behind him, holding exceedingly fond and adoring smiles on their faces.

 

“Why? Do you not want us here? We can leave if you want, Yedam. You just have to say so,” Hyunjin sniffled dramatically before being cut off by even more giggles.

 

“You know that’s not what I meant, hyung. I’m so happy to see all of you! Seems like there’s a few introductions to get out of the way too but I think I know everyone from how much Jeongin talks about all of you.”

 

“All good things, I hope,” Woojin smirked, knowing that was probably not the case when Jeongin began to whistle nonchalantly.

 

Yedam quickly stood in front of each of them, shaking their hands and introducing himself, though Jisung and Felix automatically pulled him into a hug when they realised how sweet of a kid Yedam actually was. Junkyu and Hyunsuk eventually joined them again, with the younger of the two asking them if they had eaten yet, which they replied that they hadn’t. After practically inhaling the delicious meal that Junkyu whipped up for them, the boys lingered for a little longer and getting better acquainted to one another.

 

“I’m so glad you guys came back, hyung. I missed you when you weren’t here.”

 

“But you kept in touch with Jeongin. You’ve been talking with him so often.”

 

“So? I’m saying that I missed you and Hyunjin hyung.”

 

Heart blooming with warmth, Chan leapt forwards to envelop Yedam in a bone crushing hug, gaining small but delightful yelps from the struggling boy in his arms.

 

“But at least you weren’t all alone like the last time we came here. Hyunsuk and Junkyu seem really nice. It would have been nice to get to spend a lot of time with them.”

 

Tilting his head slightly, Yedam chuckled at the disappointed look on the Knight’s face. “Well, you know you can stay for as long as you want, hyung. You don’t have to leave so soon. I have rooms for you guys and you’re always welcome here.”

 

“Thanks, Yedam but we only have a short while left.”

 

“For what?”

 

Before Chan could open his mouth to reply, he heard booming footsteps rush towards him as his arm was grabbed quite harshly by Jeongin and yanked backwards. “Uh, hyung, can I speak with you for a minute?”

 

The pure fear and dread in his youngest member’s eyes caused Chan to go into overprotective mode but couldn’t quite grasp what was so urgent that Jeongin suddenly needed to drag him away for the conversation he was having with the younger Necromancer. However, Jeongin’s wishes were interrupted as Yedam grabbed Chan’s other arm and began to drag him back to his original standing position.

 

“For _what,_ hyung?”

 

“B-before we take on the Fortress. What the hell is going on between you two?”

 

Betrayal and unease mixing together and causing Yedam’s usually bright features to scrunch up really made Chan wonder why the boy was having such an adverse reaction to hearing that they would soon be leaving to take on the trials within the Fortress. They hadn’t spoken to him about the reason for their decision, keeping it from him like they had with all of their other friends but the Knight had assumed that Jeongin had actually told Yedam that they would be travelling to the Fortress at some point. However, seeing the hurt look on the youngest boy’s face, he finally began to realise that Jeongin had not been kind enough to let that information go.

 

“You told me that Chan hyung wasn’t going to let you take on the Fortress, that it was too unpredictable and hazardous. You were going to just wait and see if Wooyoung had been lying about Phantasm shutting down.”

 

Jeongin knew that this was the end of him. If Yedam didn’t kill him for lying to him about taking on the Fortress, he knew by the horror on Chan’s face that the Knight would murder him for allowing the other Necromancer to know about a secret that was not supposed to leave their inner circle.

 

“You told him about what Wooyoung said to us?!”

 

“He told me everything about the night you spent in Wooyoung’s house, hyung,” Yedam seethed, keeping his eyes trained on the other Necromancer, never breaking the intense staring match that made Jeongin feel uncomfortable for the first time since he had met the younger boy. “What he _failed_ to mention was that you all decided to take on the Fortress. He said you didn’t want to put all of them in danger, that you were going to wait and see how it turned out.”

 

They had made one rule and one rule only: to keep this secret to themselves so that nobody else would have to carry the burden of knowing about Phantasm’s fate and out of all the people that Chan thought he may have to worry about spilling this secret, accidentally or otherwise, he never in a million years thought he would have to concern himself with Jeongin. Chan wasn’t sure if the look on the boy’s face was because he had found out that Jeongin had broken their promise or that he had lied to Yedam. Looking upon the situation, it was more than likely both.

 

“Were you going to tell me before you left, Jeongin? Or were you just going to go to the Fortress, possibly die inside and have me wondering why the hell my wisps couldn’t reach you anymore?”

 

Yedam was fuming, obvious by the clenched teeth and balled up fists and Chan could almost imagine the steam coming out of his ears. This was a side he had never seen to the Necromancer before but Chan couldn’t fault the boy for getting this upset about possibly losing his friends to a very real threat. The long, drawn out sigh that Jeongin left go made Chan sick to his stomach, the air filled with tension becoming so stifling around him.

 

“Yedam, I just didn’t want you to worry-”

 

“Ah, so you lied through your teeth to protect me and not cause me any pain? Well, that worked out _really_ fucking well, didn’t it? I obviously didn’t mean enough to you to say anything about this. Apparently it would have been easy for you to leave without telling me that I may never see you again. Screw this, I’m going to bed.”

 

Seeing the furious Necromancer turn on his heel to leave, Jeongin made a motion to grab him, brushing off of his sleeve but not managing to hold onto it in time to stop the other from departing with unbearable pressure pushing down upon both of them.

 

“Yedam, wait.”

 

“I don’t wanna hear it. You know, I thought that we were friends, that we meant something to each other but you really don’t have to concern yourself with me anymore, Jeongin. Since you were going to walk out that door without any trouble in a few days, why not just leave now? I’m sure you can find somewhere else to sleep.”

 

With a final snap, Yedam ran up the stairs leaving a gobsmacked Chan staring at Jeongin’s shaking shoulders. He wasn’t quite sure what he had expected to happen but it certainly hadn’t been that. He knew the bond between Jeongin and Yedam was unbreakable, something so strong that he knew it wasn’t just because they were both Necromancers but that something much deeper connected them, a link that would tie them together for eternity but Jeongin’s deception and dishonesty may have just frayed the string of fate that joined them together.

 

“Innie, how could you tell him about Wooyoung? We agreed not to let anyone else know.”

 

Remaining silent, Jeongin’s shoulders constantly trembled and Chan thought because of the tense argument that had just taken place that he wasn’t going to get an answer out of the Necromancer but before he could push him any further, Jeongin slowly spun around, tears bristling and begging to be set free but the young boy wouldn’t allow them to stir.

 

“I was scared, hyung. When we came back from the ball, I went back to my room alone. I didn’t want to bother any of you since you were all trying your best to figure out how we would get out of this mess.”

 

Seeing Chan beginning to lurch forwards to quickly shoot down the idea of any of his members not being there for him, Jeongin held his hands up to stop his advance.

 

“I know that you guys will always have my back but that night, I just couldn’t add to your burden by having to listen to me whine and blubber about my insecurities and worries. I did what I always do and called Yedam. All I wanted to do was talk, not about the ball but just speak to him in general. It’s always so effortless, like we’ve been best friends for years but the minute I opened my mouth, he knew something was wrong.”

 

Jeongin quickly fell back to that evening so many nights ago and exhaled with a shaky breath when he remembered the trembling tone with which Yedam had pleaded and hoped that they wouldn’t actually take on the Fortress. He already felt terrible that he had decidedly spilled their biggest secret and that Yedam was now also carrying the burden but how could he tell the other boy that they were in fact heading to the most dangerous place in the game, the place that had taken so many lives in the years that Phantasm had been running?

 

“I know we can trust him and you know that too, hyung. I’m not saying that we couldn’t trust everyone that we’ve decided not to tell but...I don’t know. It was a mistake to let him know. I shouldn’t have done it. It kind of came out without me knowing how to stop it. As for keeping our plans from him, I just didn’t want him to be upset. He sounded so desperate when I told him we might be doing the trials that night, that he was terrified we wouldn’t come out of it. I-I’m sorry, hyung.”

 

Head hanging lower than Chan had ever seen it, he glanced over Jeongin’s defeated form, knowing that he was now regretting having ever let Yedam know their secret since it had strained the relationship which he held so dear. However, Chan was nothing if not understanding, a support that could always be relied on in his friends’ darkest times and he knew that, unlike the other members in his group, Jeongin didn’t have someone constantly beside him which he felt he could spill his most terrifying doubts to. The Knight himself knew the kind of relationship he had with his friends always boasted that they trusted each other more than anything but there were certain things, hidden and undisclosed thoughts which made him feel like he was drowning that he could only share with Woojin. He didn’t want the other members to feel weighed down with the overwhelming uneasiness that sometimes afflicted him but knew that he could confide in Woojin and everything would be alright. Sometimes he saw those thoughts as a weakness and only the Bard could sate the need to know that he was not alone. For Jeongin, Yedam was that person and Chan really couldn’t scold him anymore when he realised this, seeing the boy move his sleeve covered hand up to his eyes that were hidden by his bangs looming over his forehead and scrub at the tears that had finally managed to peek through.

 

“Oh, Innie. Come here.” Prying the trembling arm away from the boy’s face, Chan pulled him close, allowing Jeongin to nestle into the crook of his neck and seek comfort, even if the Necromancer had grown just that little bit taller than Chan in the recent weeks, much to the Knight’s chagrin.

 

“He was right, my plan worked out _so_ well. We’re leaving here in a couple of days and now he hates me. I didn’t think I would screw up our friendship this much by keeping our plans from him. I was going to tell him eventually but I was scared of how he would react.”

 

Sniffles filling the air and hands grasping at Chan’s shirt to ground himself, Jeongin wondered if there would ever be anything he could do to get Yedam to forgive him. After seeing the usually bright Necromancer’s face contorted with rage, he honestly doubted if he could ever return to how he was with Yedam.

 

“Well, you still have time before we leave to mend your mistake. Go and talk to him.”

 

“He won’t want to see me, hyung.”

 

“Pretty sure Hyunjin thought that was the case when he fought with Seungmin during the tournament and when Minho thought that Jisung would never want to speak to him again after their whole ordeal. You can fix this, Innie or you can at least try. Don’t walk away from here with such a negative air circling you.”

 

“And you, hyung?”

 

“Hmm? Me?”

 

“Are you still pissed at me?”

 

Smacking the boy’s lower back, Chan chuckled a little and wondered if Jeongin knew that he could never really stay angry with any of his members. If they ever did something to make him annoyed, it wouldn’t last all that long; they all had that effect on him.

 

“Extremely. I’m so incredibly pissed at you. You’ll have to leave the group, I’m afraid. I can’t have some abhorrent monster like you hanging around the rest of us. Someone so crazy and diabolical-”

 

“Ok, hyung, enough of the dramatics, I get it,” Jeongin deadpanned, already drained and far too tired to be dealing with Chan’s theatrical spiel.

 

He knew that Chan was right, like he usually was, not that anyone would ever give him the satisfaction of letting him know that. Trudging up the stairs and leaving the jovial atmosphere of the night behind, Jeongin felt his legs become heavier, being weighed down by the fear of Yedam’s reaction once he opened his door. _If_ he opened his door. Despite his own personal feelings at the moment, Jeongin couldn’t deny that the place in which he had spent time recovering after the incident with Gyujin had changed rather dramatically since he was here the last time. The hallways sparkled with shining lights, raining down upon the people who were coming and going from their rooms, all of which had been vacant before. The aroma of homemade cuisine wafted through the corridors and reminded Jeongin of home like never before. He would have to thank Junkyu for that small pleasure later on. Hustle and bustle was a foreign concept to this place but now it seemed to be the only thing present as the sweet hubbub filled the previously empty space.

 

Landing in front of the final door of the hallway, Jeongin noticed that there was no light coming from beneath it, no indication that there was anyone still awake that would perhaps want to talk to him. He raised a hand to knock but stopped momentarily, figuring out what he was going to say to the very agitated boy on the other side. What could he say? He needed to fix this, it was all his fault and Yedam bared no blame so, this was going to be even harder to try and find the right words to ask for the other Necromancers forgiveness.

 

Fist raised in the air, prepared to rap on the door, Jeongin jumped back a couple of feet when it was opened and he came face to face with a very peeved looking Yedam.

 

“I could see your shadow underneath the doorway standing here for the last two minutes. What do you want?” snarled the younger, not in the mood to entertain Jeongin in any way.

 

Not particularly wanting anyone residing in Yedam’s inn to hear what was going to be said between them, Jeongin lowered his head and voice as he pleaded silently with the other boy. “Um, can I come in so we can talk?”

 

“No.”

 

“Come on, Yedam, please.”

 

Inhaling with obvious displeasure, Yedam stepped aside and moved back to his bed before flicking on the bedside lamp and sitting back down on the mattress. Jeongin hadn’t been in Yedam’s bedroom before but he allowed himself a little smile when he noticed that it suited the younger boy perfectly. Walls flushed with shadowed fuschias slowly blended into a sky blue and bounced back towards Jeongin as he began to think how beautiful it would truly look as the morning sun crept into the younger boy’s room. Little trinkets lined the shelves, obviously bits and bobs that Yedam had found along his travels within the game. Laying against one of the bedside lockers was an acoustic guitar, frayed strings indicating how often it was used to fill the space with beautiful tunes.

 

Admiring the space was abruptly cut short when Jeongin’s thoughts were interrupted by a cough before he focused in on Yedam as he sat on the side of the messy, unmade bed. Like a child waiting to be scolded, Jeongin slowly made his way up towards the other and took his place beside Yedam.

 

“You wanted to talk, so, talk.”

 

Jeongin exhaled deeply and wondered if grabbing the younger boy’s hand to try and alleviate some of his anger would be such a great idea. Momentarily deciding against it, Jeongin folded his hands in his lap, allowing his thumbs to encircle each other as he felt Yedam’s gaze burn into his face, waiting for an explanation as to why he had been lied to.

 

“Yedam, telling you about Wooyoung was my mistake. I shouldn’t have forced you to carry something like this, that wasn’t fair. As for lying to you about taking on the Fortress, I just couldn’t seem to find the right words without making you upset. And, yes, I do realise that my plan went to shit because of the way that you’re looking at me right now. I was going to tell you before we left, I swear. I didn’t want to tell you over the wisp, I thought it would be better face to face. Those are a hell of a lot of excuses, huh?”  

 

Yedam’s gaze hadn’t wavered throughout Jeongin’s ‘apology’ before the elder realised that he hadn’t actually said sorry for deceiving one of his best friends, his soulmate. Turning to face Yedam fully for the first time, Jeongin decidedly took a bold risk and grasped the other’s hand in his own. Yedam made a slight move to back away but ceased his movements when Jeongin’s eyes locked with his.

 

“I am sorry for lying to you, Yedamie. Please don’t ever think that it was because I don’t care about you. You’re one of the most important people in the world to me and I fucked up in not revealing our plans to you straight away. You had a right to know after I told you about Wooyoung, I shouldn’t have kept you in the dark, you deserved a lot better than that. I am really, _really_ sorry.”

 

Hoping his very sincere apology would reach the other boy’s heart, Jeongin held on a little bit tighter when Yedam remained silent for an extended period of time but eventually let his anger out through his clenched teeth when he saw the raw regret in the older boy’s eyes.

 

“You suck.”

 

“Yeah, I know.”

 

“I hate you.”

 

“I hate me too.”

 

“Why am I still friends with you?”

 

“Because I’m adorable and so terribly hard to resist?”

 

That earned Jeongin a face full of Yedam’s pillow, the younger Necromancer going to town and whacking a squealing Jeongin beneath him. It pleased the elder immensely that, even though he was being thoroughly beaten, he could see the smallest smirk grace Yedam’s lips as he continued his playful torture.

 

“So, why didn’t you tell me? You said you didn’t want me to get upset. Didn’t think I could handle it?”

 

“Nah, I know you’re strong and you would have been able for it but I dislike seeing you hurt, emotionally or otherwise, even for a little while. So, are we ok?”

 

“What you did wasn’t ok but I am going to forgive you anyways because I’m such a kind hearted soul.”

 

Jeongin scoffed loudly but thought that it probably wasn’t the best thing to do in such a serious situation when Yedam was actually doing his best to forgive him. Gaining an arched eyebrow, Jeongin gestured for the other to continue as he zipped his lips.

 

“Plus, I’d feel pretty awful if I sent you off in a couple of days without reconciling knowing the kind of danger you’re going to be walking into soon.” Eyes immediately lowering and shaky breaths filling the room like a flood, Yedam couldn’t help the twinge of sadness that managed to squirm its way into his words.

 

Seeing Yedam’s eyes begin to bristle with tears, Jeongin quietly stood and made his way over to the boy before slowly wrapping his arms around trembling shoulders.

 

“As much as we like to complain about this game, it has allowed me to meet some pretty wonderful people who are kind enough to worry about me. We’ll be fine, Yedam, I know it.”

 

“Ah, yes, of course. You’ll be fine going into the mysterious Fortress who nobody has ever completed and has killed so many people before you. Yeah, I have no need to worry.”

 

Jeongin slowly patted the back of Yedam’s head, playing with the frazzled curls at the base of his neck. He knew that this was Yedam’s way voicing his concerns in  a joking sort of manner but holding very real anxieties beneath the surface. Jeongin realised that this was it, the last time he would have to reassure someone that they were going to be ok since this was their final stop before entering the Fortress where they would either do the impossible and beat the game or find their final resting place inside. Feeling Yedam finally cling to his shirt, Jeongin swayed side to side, grinning as he nuzzled their cheeks together. Yedam eventually pulled away but moved to hold Jeongin’s hands in his.

 

“You’ll be ok.”

 

“We’ll be ok, Yedamie. Come on, kiddo, you look exhausted, time for bed.” A sharp pain flew throughout Jeongin’s back as Yedam walloped it with all of his strength, continuing to do so until Jeongin forcibly pulled him down onto the soft sheets and wrapped himself around the younger boy to deter him from lashing out anymore.  

 

“Stop calling me a kid. You’re only a year older than me.”

 

“You got it, kiddo. I’ll do my best to stop, kiddo. I won’t call you kiddo anymore, kiddo.”

 

“Jeongin!”

 

Letting his apprehension vanish at the sound of Yedam’s squeaky whines, Jeongin laughed loudly before being once again whacked by Yedam to silence him, a rather forceful way of saying that there were now other people staying at his inn and could possibly be sleeping. Clasping Yedam’s hands in his, Jeongin layed back on the pillow, facing the younger boy as a sense of serenity surrounded them.

 

“You guys are really gonna do this, huh?”

 

“Yup, really really.”

 

“You want me to come with you?”

 

“No, I want you to stay here with Hyunsuk hyung and Junkyu hyung where it’s safe.”

 

“Are you scared?”

 

How easy it would have been to say no, to lie to Yedam that he wasn’t totally scared out of his wits about facing the Fortress but he knew at this stage not to try and hide the truth from the younger Necromancer.

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty damn terrified actually but we can do this...I think.”

 

“Wow, that confidence is bound to get you through.”

 

Weakly punching Yedam’s arm, Jeongin smiled brightly, a little, genuine form of thanks for trying to make him feel just that little bit better. Not that he had to try all that hard. Yedam had an innate ability to make Jeongin feel more at ease and he completely understood why the game had assigned him to be his soulmate. He huddled in closer, grinning slightly when he noticed Yedam’s eyelids begin to flutter closed. Watching the other’s breathing become shallow, Jeongin moved his hand up to fix the feathering locks across his forehead, lightly bopping the tip of his nose as it made the boy wrinkle it up in his sleep from discomfort. Unbeknownst to him, it didn’t take all that long for Jeongin to follow him into slumber, appreciating the comfortable atmosphere he was bathing in.

 

Jeongin wouldn’t know for a while about how Chan had come to check on the two of them later on in the evening when he became worried about where they had gotten to, how he had gently opened the door to Yedam’s bedroom and checked inside and how he had gotten confirmation that they were both fine and left them to rest. However, Jeongin would never know that Chan had found both boys fast asleep, Jeongin’s head safely resting on Yedam’s chest as the other held him close, both seemingly not entertaining the idea of waking up anytime soon. No, that was a secret that Chan was going to keep to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a little more Jeongdam in the next chapter, it's not quite over yet! See you all next week!


	46. Only in the dark can you see the stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, 20k views, huh? Well, that's insanity. Thank you guys so much! To all of you, those of you who have been following from the start and to all of those who have found this fic along the way. It means a lot. Never thought I'd get this far! Anyways, we have a little bit of fluffiness for you this chapter (perhaps to soften the blow for the coming weeks? Is that cryptic enough?) One more thing, at the end of this chapter, to mark 20k views, I'll be giving a little hint on my next work that I'll be tackling. I haven't finished writing Phantasm so you have a couple more months of it but I have an idea for what I want to do next! No more talking, onto the chapter!

The bitterness of the early morning air wriggled its way underneath the door of the inn before it was even opened to allow Jeongin and the others to step outside. The sun hadn’t managed to wake up yet, still settled behind the hills far off in the distance. 

 

Chan shook his hands, trying to get some circulation back into his fingers that the frost of the morning had managed to strip away. Seeing his distress, knowing that Chan had trouble dealing with the cold since he had grown up in such a warm environment, Woojin dipped his hands inside his backpack and rummaged around until he found his woolen gloves and took the Knight’s hands in his own before slipping them on, earning him a smile that lit up the whole street. 

 

Yedam, Hyunsuk and Junkyu had joined them out front, already being used to waking up early since they had to prepare everything for their guests for the day ahead of them. Despite Chan’s earlier worries, all of them had gotten to know both Hyunsuk and Junkyu rather well over the days that they had remained at the inn, the two being pretty sociable and putting themselves out there at the thought of making new friends. Chan knew he could most definitely rest easy knowing that both of these boys were now here to take care of Yedam; he had found some very reliable hyungs to look after him. 

 

As everyone gathered their equipment, securing weapons to their waists and shields to their backs, Yedam quietly pulled Jeongin to the side, out of sight of the others for just a few moments. While the younger boy had accepted the reality that his friends would be going to take on the Fortress without him, it didn’t mean he had to like it. Jeongin knew that all Yedam wanted to do was yell and scream and beg for all of them to stay at his inn and simply see if Wooyoung had been wrong about the whole ordeal but what they had witnessed on the television last night threw that possibility out of the window. 

 

A few of the members had already retired to their rooms for the night leaving Jeongin, Yedam, Chan, Woojin, Minho and Hyunjin to sit and chat in the kitchen while some random music played behind them that emanated from the screen. Jeongin carefully held the steaming cup of chamomile tea between his heated fingertips, snuggling into Woojin as they sat side by side at the dining table. Just as it had a few weeks ago, the sound suddenly fizzled until another show began but one that didn’t seem to be regularly scheduled programming. 

 

All of the boys swiveled around to stare at a screen where it showed a city, one that none of them recognised but was most definitely still situated in the game. An overly ominous, black cloud made its way over the land, a thick mist flowing through the streets as people seemed overly confused as to what was happening. At a moment’s notice, the ground started to shake on the screen before the buildings surrounding the residents now running away from the destruction began to crumble and fall. People became trapped underneath the rubble, many crying, some screaming and others remaining still and silent as the town was slowly being destroyed by an unseen force. 

 

To the vast majority of the residents of Phantasm who had stayed up late enough to watch what was being shown on the screen, it looked to be an unnatural phenomenon that was beginning to swallow up the city that had been so bustling mere moments ago. However, to those sitting in Yedam’s kitchen as they laughed and ate snacks together, they knew that this was the beginning of the end. According to Wooyoung, they had exactly one week left to complete the Fortress before everything would disappear but they had assumed that it would all happen at once, everything being destroyed with the snap of someone’s fingers. From what they were seeing on the screen, this was not the case. It seemed that Phantasm would slowly, over time, be deconstructed, taking people to the other side when they were least expecting it. This was all the evidence that they needed to know that their fates had been set and there was no turning back now. 

 

“So, I guess this is it, huh?” 

 

“You make it sound like we’re never going to see each other again, Yedamie. Where has the confidence that we’re going to be alright gone? Don’t start doubting me now. I need you more than anyone else to believe in me.” 

 

Jeongin gently tapped the younger Necromancer’s chin when he saw that his head had fallen, lowering his eyes to the ground. Jeongin knew how hard this must be for the other since he too was feeling all sorts of regret leaving Yedam behind. While Jeongin was going to attempt the Fortress with his team, all Yedam was going to be able to do was sit and wait to hear if they had managed to complete it or not, something that Jeongin assumed would be hell to experience. 

 

“I do believe in you, I believe in all of you and after spending time with the rest of your friends, I can see how much of a family you all are. You trust each other completely and you’ll always have each other’s backs. If anyone can beat this place, it’s you guys. I know I don’t have to worry but I’m going to anyways, ok?”    


“Ok,” Jeongin smirked, pulling Yedam forwards and leaning his head upon the shorter boy’s shoulder. If Jeongin’s heart had a choice, he would stay here with Yedam, keeping his arms wrapped around the younger as he felt Yedam’s nervous breaths float past his ear. However, his head told him that he didn’t have the luxury of choice and that he was going to go to the Fortress with the rest of his friends. Closing his eyes as he savoured in Yedam’s warmth as it kept him from freezing, he felt the younger’s arms tighten around his waist, the air in his chest rumbling like he wanted to say something but was holding it back before finally blurting it out. 

 

“Jeongin, you...you know that I love you, right?” 

 

Finally allowing Yedam to be free of his hold, Jeongin straightened himself and tilted his head a little, trying to catch the younger’s eyes before speaking again with a dazzling smile. 

 

“Of course, Yedamie, I love you too.” 

 

An elongated sigh left Yedam’s mouth, the younger boy looking slightly dejected as he fumbled with his fingers. He nodded his head with a taut smile before turning his gaze towards the others who were still saying their goodbyes, not paying any attention to the two Necromancers hidden away in the corner of the shadows. They were leaving, all of them and as much as Yedam didn’t want to think about the negative possibilities, they were still there. He knew it was now or never, even if he didn’t entirely want to do it in this sort of manner. 

 

As Jeongin began to gaze at him with potent worry in his eyes, Yedam moved forwards on his tippy toes and placed a quick, fluttering peck just under Jeongin’s left eye. He immediately jumped back, face covered in scarlet as he saw Jeongin’s eyes blown wide at the sudden, intimate action. 

 

“Yeah, so, good luck and all that.” 

 

“Woah, woah, woah, where do you think you’re going?” 

 

Jeongin immediately grabbed onto Yedam’s hand as he tried to make his escape, hand coming up to hide his face before silently pleading for someone to come and rescue him from the awkward situation he had created. He didn’t want to see how Jeongin was looking at him, he was rather afraid of his reaction, fearing that the emotions he could no longer withhold would ruin the best friendship that he had ever had. 

 

“You would barely let me hug you in the beginning and now I’m getting kisses on my cheek? You’re certainly not the same person I met all those weeks ago.”

 

“Well, I’m sorry if that disappoints you…”Yedam muttered, trying to free his arm from Jeongin’s grip but since the elder wasn’t holding onto him all that tightly, he knew that if Yedam really wanted to run away, he could have done so with relative ease. 

 

Giggling at the overly flustered state of his soulmate, Jeongin tightened his grip and pulled Yedam back towards him, eliciting a little yelp as the younger came into contact with his chest. 

 

“Was that supposed to mean something, Yedamie?”

 

Yedam snorted loudly but made no attempt to wriggle free of Jeongin’s grasp as he snuggled into the elder’s chest. “Ha, it didn’t mean anything except goodbye, dumbass.” 

 

“You sure about that, kiddo?”

 

“I will fucking flatten you.” 

 

Jeongin snickered at the boy still tightly encased in his arms. He was rather surprised that Yedam had made the first move in all of this. 

 

Had he himself maybe come to the conclusion that Woojin was right when he had called him out on speaking about Yedam a lot? Maybe. 

 

Had he realised that it was a little strange that he couldn’t seem to go for too long without hearing the other Necromancer’s voice? Possibly. 

 

Had he pondered on the idea that the flickering heat that he felt within his chest when he saw Yedam again for the first time after so many weeks wasn’t just happiness due to seeing an old friend? Definitely. 

 

Had he thought about saying something to the younger boy before leaving? Yes but he wasn’t going to, not now, not in this moment. 

 

“You beat me to it. Gosh, can’t believe I couldn’t be a decent hyung and be the first one to say something.” 

 

“You’ve never been my hyung and you- wait, what?” 

 

Jeongin moved to sway a little bit with the other still in his arms. The brisk morning air nipping at their ears made Jeongin shiver but the warmth inside managed to mitigate the coldness eventually. 

 

“I’m not going to say anything else on the subject, Yedamie.”

 

“What?! Why the hell not?!”

 

“Because I don’t wanna say something like that when there is no guarantee that I will come back and be by your side. That would be unfair. So, we’re going to leave it here and if- when I come back to you after defeating the Fortress, then we’ll talk a bit more about all of this. Does that sound ok?” 

 

Feeling a slight nod underneath his chin, Jeongin grinned before he heard Chan calling out his name trying to locate him. He patted Yedam on the cheek and ushered him forwards to join the rest. It wasn’t long before they were walking towards the edge of town and past the gates. It would only take them a day and a half to get to the Fortress from their current destination but they prayed that this would give them enough time to complete the trials after what they had seen of the destruction last night. 

 

Walking back down the winding paths, Jeongin glanced back once more at Yedam who was now standing alone as Hyunsuk and Junkyu were already heading back to the inn. Throwing him one last smile and a finger heart, Jeongin giggled again when he saw the morning sun illuminate the dust on the other Necromancer’s cheeks. He felt awfully proud that he could manage to rile Yedam up like that and couldn’t wait to do it again when he got back. He would definitely return to Yedam’s side with all of his friends. Jeongin would make sure of that. 

 

* * *

 

Chan had heard stories from the others about the Rautaja Fortress itself. He remembered all those months ago when Changbin had explained to him the very basics of the Fortress and what was required of those who attempted it. In the nights he spent with Woojin, when they talked about the many aspects of the world they were now living in, they occasionally grazed over the subject of the end goal and Woojin had mentioned what he knew about it which, in retrospect, wasn’t all that much. Then again, nobody really knew anything about the place since those who ventured inside never came back out. 

 

Nothing really prepared Chan for the first time he laid eyes on the gigantic building in the distance. They were still a couple of miles away but the silhouette of the monstrosity was clear as day as the group of friends began to descend upon their location. It oozed danger, the ominous air around Chan’s ears screaming at him to get away from here as fast as humanly possible. He knew that wasn’t an option; this was the final destination for them no matter what. The tower stood thousands of feet tall, the top unable to be seen as it disappeared into the clouds. Withered bricks made up the walls that were covered with moss and vines, making it look like some medieval castle where nightmares were born. 

 

It seemed that the feeling was spreading to the others around him as well as everyone was eerily silent as they approached the outskirts of the town that Namjoon had mentioned to them, the ghost town that would provide them refuge the night before they walked through the doors that they would never walk back out of again, no matter the result.

 

As they drew nearer to the entrance of the silent town, Woojin noticed two men by the gates. The first had a wicker hat pulled in front of his face as his snores floated upwards into the air. He leaned against his cart that seemed to be locked up with some sort of magical lock, obvious from the silver swirls meandering around the chains. The other laid his head on the first’s lap, not snoring as loudly as the other but still managing to echo a little. 

 

The Bard was sure that these must be some of the merchants that Namjoon had told them about, the ones who held powerful armour and weapons that would assist them during the trials. They figured that this would be their last chance to gear up and prepare so, even if they thought the men looked to be in a rather comfortable position as they slept, Woojin let go a small cough, one that seemed to raise them from their slumber. Moving the hat aside from his face, the first man stared at them with wide eyes that showed great excitement and bewilderment at finally getting customers after so long. 

 

“Oh! Hi there! How are you guys doing? Are you heading into town? Going to take on the Fortress? Do you need some weapons and gear? We’ve got plenty here for you! You name it, we’ve got it! I also do upgrades if you want to keep your old weapons! What do you need? I-”

 

“Jesus, Donghyun, breathe. You realise they won’t be able to tell us what they want if you keep talking?” 

 

Looking a little embarrassed at his overly excited spiel, the mousy haired boy grinned widely at the group of friends who seemed to be highly amused at the young man’s bubbly demeanor. 

 

“Sorry, hyung. So, so, so, what can we do for you guys?” 

 

“Um, we were just looking to browse for the moment if that’s ok with you? We have a set amount of money so, we just need to be careful about what we buy,” Chan explained, cracking a small smile when he noticed the slightly shorter of the two, apparently called Donghyun, was still beaming at him like he was the most wonderful thing in the world. “My name’s Chan by the way, it’s nice to meet you.” 

 

“Oh? I don’t think anyone has ever introduced themselves to us before. This is a little strange, people usually aren’t interested in conversation, just what we have to offer them. It’s very nice to meet you too! I’m Kim Donghyun and this is Im Youngmin. Wait a sec. Hyung, open the lock and let them have a look.” 

 

Youngmin sent a shy smile their way before contorting his hands and breaking the chains around the cart that sprung open to twice its original size to show everyone the vast amount of wares that the two young men had for sale. 

 

After about half an hour of perusing and bargaining with Youngmin and Donghyun, the boys felt a hell of a lot more prepared than they had previously, making them feel a little more at ease but still not making the worry evaporate from the air. Jisung and Minho both purchased new clothing, different styled jackets that improved defence but was also lighter than their previous gear and therefore, made them faster which was needed for both of their classes. 

 

Hyunjin immediately zoned in on the potions and elements that he could use to increase his stash and help him to create even more bombs and distractions that may be of use to them later on. 

 

Youngmin and Donghyun also had charms that could be attached to weapons exactly like the ones Woojin was rather fond of, since he had the bear and kangaroo that he had bought in Aquaria still settled on his Spear. Jeongin immediately picked up a little fennec fox, the silver metal glinting in the sunlight, a charm that would increase his speed exponentially. 

 

Nearly all of the other members simply upgraded their weapons and clothing, knowing that what they had was probably on the same level as what was being offered to them by the two young men. There was no point in wasting money on things that wouldn’t aid them in any way but they could always strengthen what they already had. 

 

Chan was one that never wanted to give up his Sword that he had gotten from Chul Moo back in Haknal but at the same time, he knew that there were far more powerful weapons that would be of use to him in a place like the Fortress. Youngmin suggested a one handed sword so that Chan could still use his shield should he need it. 

 

“This is the Sword of Locksley, it’s pretty damn powerful and I think that it would suit you well. It amplifies a lot of your techniques as a Knight too.” 

 

The sword had black and silver rings around the grip with what seemed to be an emerald stone sitting on top of the handle. The blade looked sleek and strong, giving Chan a sense of security that he was rather fond of. 

 

“I don’t doubt your expertise. I’ll take it, thank you.” 

 

After everyone was suited up, patting new and upgraded weapons on their belts, Donghyun and Youngmin packed up their wares again, making the cart revert to a smaller one that could be easily pulled along behind them. 

  
“Well, we wish you guys the best of luck. We hope you are the exception.”

 

“What do you mean?” Jeongin questioned.

 

“We’ve been coming here for a long time, seeing many teams enter the Fortress and not come back out but we have a good feeling about all of you. Stick together, look after each other, make sure to keep an eye on your surroundings and I think you could be the ones to complete the trials.” Youngmin beamed, giving them a small thumbs up which Donghyun immediately mirrored. 

 

“Thanks, you guys, we’ll do our best,” Felix nodded with a wry smile, not wanting to give away that they  _ had  _ to be the ones to do it or nobody would be getting out of here. 

 

“Well, we’re going to head off back home. No point in staying here when you guys will be attempting it; nobody else is going to come while you’re inside. Seriously though, good luck.” Donghyun grinned, waving backwards as he walked down the path ahead with Youngmin. “I hope we managed to help you guys in some way. Go in there and kick some ass!” 

 

Chan couldn’t help but grin when he noticed the elder of the two whack Donghyun over the back of the head, whisper shouting that he shouldn’t be making such a scene. The Knight knew that feeling all too well but it reminded him that, when it happened between him and his members, it just showed how close they were and he was always thankful to have someone like that by his side.

 

* * *

 

It seemed that the further they got into the town, the more stifling the silence around them seemed to become. Changbin felt that after they had purchased their new weapons and clothing, it became all the more real, the notion that they were indeed heading off to take on the unbeatable Fortress that they could see in the distance. Gloominess smothered them like a blanket, falling over all of them and knocking back any positive energy that even thought about trying to invade their spirits. He glanced at Felix to his left, the bright sunshine that was usually never seen without a smile on his face was simply staring at the ground with a blank expression, eyes coated with worry and realisation. The Medic placed a tender hand on the side of his head, pulling him close and placing a gentle kiss on the side of Felix’s temple. The gained him a half of a smile, a lopsided grin that should have made Changbin melt but he could see the underlying sadness that was trying hard not to break through. 

 

They continued further and further into the town, taking in the dilapidated buildings around them. Bricks littered the ground, vines and weeds growing their way up and around the quaint little shops that were void of any customers. The wind whistled down the streets, that simple sound being the only thing filling the silence other than the scrape of the boys’ shoes off of the dusty gravel beneath them. In all honesty, when Namjoon had mentioned that they town had been haunted by those who had failed to complete the Fortress, Jeongin had thought it was just some superstitious legend that you would usually hear about places like this but when he looked around him and saw swirls of different coloured lights slowly drifting around that apparently only he could see, he did start to believe the Black Mage’s words.  

 

Since they had a couple of hours to kill before they would make camp for the night, Minho made a point that they could inspect the insides of some of the buildings. Maybe they would find something of interest inside, maybe they wouldn’t but it would pass the time that they had to spare.  

 

The hinges squeaked rather loudly as Chan pushed a rusty door open and entered the first place they came across. Dust that had been settled on the floor was disrupted at numerous pairs of feet shuffled across it to inspect the surroundings. From the stools placed around the counter, bottles lining the wall, empty glasses littering the wooden tables spread around the area, it became pretty obvious that this had been a bar that had once been full of patrons, those singing and dancing the night away as the drowned their sorrows in whatever it was that the bartender had recommended. Now, only their ghosts were left behind, silence decorating the walls that dripped with eeriness. 

 

Moving further into the tavern, Woojin began to examine every little detail, glancing at the once beautiful paintings that could barely be seen due to the dirt now caked upon their faces. Being so immersed as he walked, he almost tripped over the obstruction in his path. Glancing downwards, he couldn’t help but grin at the guitar that lay at his feet, picking it up and blowing the cobwebs from the strings. They seemed to be a little frayed but still playable as he moved his fingers along the nylon strings that played an out of tune chord as the music came to life. Twisting the tuners, Woojin felt an oddly calming sensation throughout his body at having an instrument within his grasp once again. As he thought about it, it had been weeks since he managed to play something even though it was one of the things he enjoyed doing the most. 

 

“Oh, are we going to get a performance out of you?”

 

Looking into the eyes of the positively giddy Knight, Woojin shook his head at Chan’s hopeful expression. 

 

“I wasn’t planning on it. I just nearly tripped over it and man, if there’s one thing I hate, it’s an untuned instrument,” Woojin joked, fingers still fiddling with the strings as he attempted to play a chord. 

 

“Oh, come on, Woojinnie. I haven’t heard you singing in so long. I miss your voice. Do it for me? Please?” Chan attempted to pout, failing miserably as giggles took over at Woojin’s eyes rolling to the side. 

 

He didn’t want to give Chan the satisfaction after trying to coerce him in such a childish manner but Woojin admitted that he too had missed singing. It had become such a regular thing when he fought, blasting out spells in the form of lyrics but sitting in a tavern by a warm fire while the hustle and bustle of daily life swirled around him as he got lost in the music he produced had nearly become a foreign concept to him and he hated that. Granted, this place was far from what he was used to, the coldness of it all seeping into his skin and making him feel like they were all intruding in a place they were not supposed to. Still, as his fingers strummed across the instrument and he finally managed to produce a melodious sound, he felt like he couldn’t hold back in giving Chan what he wanted. 

 

Fingers moving skillfully up and down, Woojin let himself fall away into the sound of the music coming from the guitar, making Chan lean back against the dusty piano behind him and gaze lovingly at the boy who became immersed in his song before opening his eyes to stare directly back at the Knight. 

 

_ I will fight, _

_ I will fight for you, _

_ I always do until my heart, _

_ Is black and blue. _

 

_ And I will stay, _

_ I will stay with you, _

_ We'll make it to the other side, _

_ Like lovers do. _

 

Chan’s smile slowly dropped as Woojin’s intense stare buried its way into his heart. He knew that the Bard wouldn’t be able to resist singing when he got the chance but he honestly thought he would sing some generic song that he had probably sang a thousand times before. However, the song that he had chosen to sing was being directed straight at him, one that was far too fitting for the situation for Chan not to hear, to feel the emotions that Woojin was trying to get across. 

 

He felt like they were the only two people left in the whole entire world, just as he had the first time he had heard Woojin sing back in Haknal. Changbin had told him to meet him at the tavern for dinner before Chan had heard the most beautiful voice, not knowing that it belonged to the boy who would change his whole world by simply being himself. He wondered what he did, what it was that made fate decide to give him someone like Woojin who made his life ten thousand times better without doing anything in particular. 

 

_ I'll reach my hands out in the dark, _

_ And wait for yours to interlock, _

_ I'll wait for you, _

_ I'll wait for you. _

 

Even if Chan had felt like they were alone, that was not the case as all of the other boys turned their attention towards the two that were tucked away in the corner of the room. Felix immediately perked up, realising he knew the song that Woojin had chosen to sing before running over to the piano that Chan had been resting against and began to play the underlying chords that amplified the beat of the tune, making it much more uplifting and causing the other boys to chuckle when the two eldest members seemed to snap out of their lovey dovey trance that had encapsulated them. Woojin smiled widely before continuing on. 

 

_ Cause I'm not givin' up, _

_ I'm not givin' up, givin' up, _

_ No, not yet, _

_ Even when I'm down to my last breath, _

_ Even when they say there's nothin' left, _

_ So, don't give up on… _

 

Getting lost in the moment, Seungmin moved closer to Woojin and joined in with his singing, creating a beautiful harmony that made pretty much everyone turn his head towards him. 

 

_ I'm not givin' up, _

_ I'm not givin' up, givin' up, _

_ No, not me, _

_ Even when nobody else believes, _

_ I'm not goin' down that easily, _

_ So, don't give up on me. _

 

Everyone seemed a little shocked to hear the beautiful voice that fell past Seungmin’s lips, never imagining that the Illusionist held that sort of talent. Hyunjin now had the biggest darn grin on his face when he saw that Seungmin was finally comfortable enough within himself and around his friends that he was allowing himself to let loose, to have fun and let others see a true gift that he held. 

 

_ And I will hold, _

_ I'll hold onto you, _

_ No matter what this world'll throw, _

_ It won't shake me loose. _

 

_ I'll reach my hands out in the dark, _

_ And wait for yours to interlock, _

_ I'll wait for you, _

_ I'll wait for you. _

 

Just before the chorus of the song could begin again, Jeongin ran over to Minho and grabbed his hands in his before beginning to swing him around in time with the music, disorienting the Tracker a little but eventually making him laugh loudly as they began to jump around to the music that filled the room and flittered out the open windows. Not wanting to be beaten in enjoying himself, Jisung moved to grasp Hyunjin’s hand in his own, knowing that the Alchemist was of the same mindset. With an evil twinkle in their eyes, both boys leapt towards Changbin and interlocked their hands, all three twirling around in a circle, trying to catch their breaths as the hopped up and down, making Felix giggle as he tried to keep playing the ivory keys ahead of him. 

 

_ Cause I'm not givin' up, _

_ I'm not givin' up, givin' up, _

_ No, not yet, _

_ Even when I'm down to my last breath, _

_ Even when they say there's nothin' left, _

_ So, don't give up on… _

 

_ I'm not givin' up, _

_ I'm not givin' up, givin' up, _

_ No, not me, _

_ Even when nobody else believes, _

_ I'm not goin' down that easily, _

_ So, don't give up on me. _

 

_ I will fight, _

_ I will fight for you. _

_ I always do until my heart, _

_ Is black and blue. _

 

As the song came to a close, all those who had chosen to dance flopped down on the floor, causing dust billow around them and make them sputter and cough as they tried to clear the air around them. Felix began to laugh maniacally as Hyunjin coated his hands in the dust before beginning to draw on Changbin’s face, the Medic complaining quite loudly that he would kill the other if he tried that again. 

 

As Woojin set the guitar back up against the wall, making sure that it wouldn’t be damaged again, he felt a warm hand lovingly skim the side of his face, making him smile at Chan fondly. 

 

“See? Your voice really does hold magic within it. Look at all of them now. They were like a group of dead boys walking into this town, myself included actually and now, they’re back to their old selves.” 

 

The eldest boys gazed at the others, Hyunjin and Changbin still play fighting on the floor as they tarnished their clothes as Minho laughed at how badly the Medic was losing. Jeongin had settled in beside Felix at the piano and began to play with the keys, the younger boy mentioning to the Beast Master that he had learned how to play when he was young but had become a bit rusty after not playing in such a long time. Jisung was holding onto Seungmin’s hands in the middle of the room, wildly proclaiming that he was sure he had just heard an angel sing because there was no way a human like Seungmin could manage to produce such a fantastically beautiful sound, making the Illusionist try to hide his face with blushing cheeks as he denied all of the compliments being thrown at him. 

 

“You sure you didn’t use your magical vocals to snatch me up in the first place? I’m becoming skeptical now that falling in love with you wasn’t a choice I ever had.” 

 

“Of course, Channie. I’m constantly doing it to keep you around. There’s no escaping me now,” Woojin giggled as Chan took a seat beside him laid down on his shoulder as they continued to take in the slight madness in front of them. 

 

“We’re not giving up, not yet,” Chan murmured, clasping Woojin’s hand in his own, swaying slightly to the rhythm of their hearts. 

 

“We’ll make it to the other side, Channie, of that I’m certain.” 

 

* * *

 

As night fell, all boys left their belongings in a fairly well kept building that they found. Well, when Hyunjin had described it was well kept, he simply meant that it was still in one piece; no damage had been done to the exterior and it remained relatively clean inside. They had decided that this would be the place where they would spend their final night before heading into the Fortress. They assumed that it would take a couple of days to traverse through the trials since the time that the other groups had entered and the time the message had been broadcast to say that they had failed always had a certain number of days in between. Despite this, nobody seemed to want to rest right away; all of them wished to spend just that little bit more quality time together before taking on the biggest obstacle of their lives. 

 

Sitting on the porch of the building, Chan and Seungmin began to make a fire in front of the boys. Even if they made it in the middle of the street, nobody would complain. It seemed that even the beasts of the world decided to steer clear of this place; they didn’t wish to come anywhere near the Fortress either apparently so, all boys knew that their makeshift camp wouldn’t be drawing any monsters towards them any time soon. 

 

Huddled around the warmth from the flames in front of them, a comfortable silence whispered around the boys who held each other close. It seemed after their spirits had been lifted earlier on in the day by the impromptu performance, words weren’t needed to convey how at ease all of them were in each other’s company. Humming of the sweetest kind rose above the crackling of the fire. Woojin carefully stroked Jeongin’s hair as the boy lay his head on the Bard’s lap, the younger almost falling asleep because of Woojin’s beautiful tone. Jisung began to play with Felix’s dainty fingers as Minho started to messily place small braids in the Beast Master’s hair. Chan glanced around and noticed Seungmin staring up at the sky, carefully pointing out different constellations to Changbin who marvelled at the Illusionist’s knowledge on the subject, gaining him a small but thankful smile. 

 

“Channie hyung?” 

 

“Yes, Hyunjinnie?” 

 

The Knight gently placed his cheek on top of Hyunjin’s head when the younger boy had lowered it onto his shoulder to rest. 

 

“I can’t wait to go home.” 

 

Of course Hyunjin would be the one to make him smile in a moment like this; he had always been rather good in keeping morale up in times of doubt. 

 

“What are you looking forward to the most?” inquired Chan. 

 

“Hmm, I’m not quite sure. There are so many things, I think. Too many to count.” 

 

Chan nodded slowly, raising his head and turning his attention to all of the boys in front of him. 

 

“What about the rest of you? What are you most looking forward to when we all get to go back?” 

 

It was a question with a heavy meaning. What were they looking forward to when they got back home? It was one that needed to be asked though because, more than anything, it would give them all that little bit of extra strength that they may need to persevere through that tiny bit of fear that could be holding them back, the thought that they may not be able to do the impossible and beat the Rautaja Fortress. 

 

“I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. As much as I don’t mind moving around, home is where the heart is and all that,” Changbin muttered as he leaned back to gaze at the stars that Seungmin had named out for him. 

 

“I can’t wait to actually see my parents again. Being in here for as long as I have, I wonder if they’ve given up hope of finding me alive,” Felix yelped as Minho pulled a little too tightly on his hair, apologising quickly afterwards. 

 

Chan thought the exact same thing when it came to his family. He wondered if they had noticed; surely they would have after been missing for so long. Then again, he wondered if time really did pass the exact same way in the real world. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to wait too long to find out.

 

As all of the others thought about what they missed the most from their normal, daily lives, with Woojin saying that he couldn’t wait to eat some home cooking and Hyunjin finally deciding that he really wanted to cuddle his dog Kkami close to his chest, Chan couldn’t help but notice that Minho was rather detached from the conversation, continuing to weave the Beast Master’s hair into frayed braids. 

 

“Minho, how about you? What are you looking forward to doing when we return?” 

 

The Tracker simply shrugged his shoulder, worrying his lip between his teeth as he returned his attention back to fiddling with Felix’s strands. His fingers ceased his movements when the the younger boy turned to encourage him to say something he couldn’t wait to do or see again once he was home. 

 

“Nothing, I guess. Everything that I love is right here.” 

 

As much as that touched all of those surrounding him, Minho could see it in there expressions that his comment had worried them slightly, their eyes pushing him to explain what exactly he had meant. 

 

“It’s just...when I get back, I have nowhere to go, nobody waiting for me. It doesn’t really make a difference to me whether I’m here or back in the real world. All that matters is that I have you guys. Gonna be a bit difficult to find a place to live and some form of income since my identity could be a bit compromised because of my past. Should be an interesting feat to try and overcome I guess.” 

 

Woojin glanced sadly at the Tracker as he smiled at Felix and maneuvered his head back around so he could continue putting numerous, little plaits in his fiery hair. He didn’t ever really think about the harsh reality that someone like Minho would have to face when they returned to the real world. All of them had problems, there was no denying that but the other boy’s was on a whole other level and he wondered what it was that he could do to help but didn’t get to think much further before Chan’s voice broke the tenseness that had momentarily been created. 

 

“Then you’ll come and live with me.”   


Minho’s head spun around so fast that Jisung winced slightly at the loud crack that emanated from his neck. 

 

“Hyung, what did you say?” 

 

“I said that you can come and live with me. Jisungie, you’re also welcome to stay if you don’t have anywhere to go since you’re going to be leaving the foster system soon.” 

 

Neither Minho nor Jisung seemed to register what was being said to them, both sitting dumbfounded and frozen on the spot as Chan’s offer hit them harder than they could ever think possible. Before anyone knew what was happening, Minho was up and slowly walking over to Chan before practically falling into his lap and draping his arms around the Knight’s shoulders. Jisung wasn’t far behind, attaching himself to Chan’s left side and allowing little sobs to break through as he tried to hide his face. Smiling fondly at the boys he was cradling in his arms, Chan brought a hand up to the backs of their heads and began to carefully ruffle their hair while shushing their cries since Minho had followed Jisung in beginning to do so. 

 

“Hey, it’s not that big of a deal that you have to cry. You should already know that I would give you guys a home without hesitation if you needed one. You’ll always have one with me. It may be a little cramped with four of us though but we’ll make it work.” 

 

“Four of us?” Jisung sniffled, finally looking up at Chan with watery, puppy eyes that the Knight immediately swiped with his fingers to clear the remaining tears. 

 

“Uh huh, four including Woojinnie.” 

 

Everyone’s gaze immediately focused in on the Bard who was simply grinning at the intimate exchange as Chan kept holding onto Minho and Jisung with a tight grip. 

 

“You guys are moving in together?” Jeongin asked, still settled in Woojin’s lap as the Bard continually ran his fingers through the younger’s hair. 

 

“Yep, we discussed it a couple of nights ago and we thought it would make a lot more sense to live together. A hundred miles in the difference just didn’t seem worth it. It would have happened eventually, so, why not just do it now? I was thinking I might start looking for a job in Seoul soon anyways. ”  

 

Minho finally settled himself between the two eldest boys, with Chan keeping their little fingers linked together to show him that, no matter what, he could always rely on the both of them to help; he would never be alone again, they wouldn’t allow it. 

 

Feeling the night air nip at their ears, the boys continued to discuss what they wanted to do when the finally managed to be free of this place. At the mention of Woojin and Chan moving in together, Felix looked to Changbin with a light expression, conveying his want to live with the Medic too which caused him to inhale too quickly and nearly choke on the water he had sipped a moment ago. Hyunjin couldn’t control his laughter as he saw Felix become incredibly offended when he thought this sudden reaction meant that Changbin was not of the same mindset before he was reassured by the elder that the topic had just caught him off guard and that, when Felix had managed to graduate, then they could certainly look into doing something like that.  

 

“I’d like to go to university.” 

 

Chan turned his head sideways to glance at Jisung as he whispered so low that only the silver haired boy had managed to pick up on it. The Thief discreetly played with his fingers while harbouring a downcast expression. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. Coming out of the foster system with no support, there was no way that Jisung would be able to afford something like that.

 

Moving away from the conversation that the others were having, Chan huddled closer to Jisung, pulling him in by the waist so that there was no space left between them. 

 

“What would you like to do in university, Jisungie?” 

 

“I was thinking something to do with social work so that I could help out kids who have to go through the system like I did. Maybe focusing in on therapy to help those who have gone through tough times. I want to those kids to know that they’re not alone, that I understand.” 

 

Whoever had given Han Jisung a hard time at any point in his life would be at the mercy of Chan if he ever managed to locate them. Nobody should have had a reason to harm the boy who was curling in on himself, worrying about the bright future that he was afraid would escape his grasp. 

 

“Jisungie, what are your grades like?” 

 

The Thief looked a little perplexed at the sudden interest in his schooling but he could see it in Chan’s eyes, the little spark of hope that made his whole face light up. 

 

“Funnily enough, as much of an asshole as I was in school, I couldn’t manage to stop caring about my grades. They’re pretty good, probably one of the best in my class, if not my year. Why, hyung?” 

 

“Why not apply for some scholarships? That would take care of the fees and if you were living with me, that would erase any living expenses. You could always get a part time job on the side if you wanted to buy stuff for yourself. If your grades are good, I don’t see why not.” 

 

Jisung seemed to contemplate the option, stroking his chin with his thumb and index finger before he became a little alarmed and his eyes shot straight to Chan. 

 

“What do you mean my living expenses would be erased? Hyung, if there would be any reason to get a job it would be to help you out. I’m not gonna leech off of you and I know Min wouldn’t want to either. I’ll think about it though. I may need some help with doing all of that.”

 

Without a doubt in his mind, Chan would make sure that he would always be there for Jisung too. Two of his friends had gone through far too much in their short lives to be without someone they could truly rely on.

 

Knowing that they would all need their strength and energy when they finally entered the Fortress tomorrow, Woojin ushered them all back inside, kicking dirt onto the fire to extinguish the flames. Huddled together in the sleeping bags that they would no longer need after tonight, all members bid each other goodnight as they tried to turn in for a good night’s rest. 

 

“Hey, I love you guys. Let’s do our best tomorrow.” 

 

“Love you too, Jisungie.”

 

“Of course we’ll do our best!” 

 

“We’re all going to get out of here without a doubt!” 

 

“Nothing will be able to stand in our way!”

 

“Everyone, settle down. Time to sleep.” 

 

“Yes, mom.” 

 

“Changbin, I swear to god.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt the need to write fluffy Jeongdam and fluffy OT9, I hope you guys liked it! So, about my next fic. One of my fav series growing up was the mortal instruments (or the TV show Shadowhunters) and after reading that recently again, I was thinking of doing a fic based around that. For those of you not familiar, it's a supernatural genre book (original, I know) but just like Phantasm, only the premise will be similar but it will have a new story all its own. I have lots of ideas for it already and I'm excited about it! It may be as long as Phantasm in chapters but DEFINITELY NOT in words cause damn, I will never write another Phantasm again. The chapters would be shorter because I do find it hard to write around 7000 words each week sometimes..also, I don't think it will be a set schedule fic but I would try to update every 7-10 days. When I finish a chapter, I will post one. That's the idea so some may take longer than the others. Anyways, that's the plan (if anyone is actually interested, maybe you're not but that's ok!) That was a lot of rambling. I'm sorry! See everyone next week!


	47. The book of life is filled with incoherent riddles. Life's true lessons are inscribed in a corner of the margin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, I can't believe that we're actually here. The first trial of the Fortress. It's been a long time coming. Trying to make up some of these trials was more than difficult so I hope you all think that they're ok! Feel free to play along with this trial. See if you would have been able to pass! Ok, let's go!

Walking through the doors of the Fortress caused a wave of nausea to hit all nine boys at once, though nobody was sure if it was because they finally realised what they were walking into or if it was the pungent smell of death and decay that was swirling around in the air. The walls dripped with whispers of those who had lost their lives in this place though, there was no evidence that anything atrocious and disturbing had ever occurred here. In front of them lay a long hallway, one that seemed to offer those who entered a reprieve, a chance to think about their choice and escape before it was too late to turn back. However, for the group of friends who had set their minds to this, there was no escape, not anymore. From the way their world had begun to crumble around them, they knew for certain that Wooyoung’s fears had been correct, that they no longer had the choice to stand idle and be added to the numerous deaths that the game had already made sure of. This was it. Their final chapter within Phantasm. Whether it ended in them escaping or dying within the Fortress itself.

 

Seungmin gently grabbed Jeongin’s hand when he saw the beginnings of tears well up in the youngest’s eyes, knowing exactly how he was feeling but at the same time, knowing he had to be seen as a strong hyung who could be relied upon in this exceedingly tense situation. His actions quickly earned him a sombre smile, one which automatically broke Seungmin’s heart since he knew the bright spirit that Jeongin had was slowly beginning to crumble under the weight of his worries and the lives of his friends who were at stake.

 

All of them were suddenly brought to a halt as they hit the point of no return. The large, iron doors that held the first trial behind them stood tall and intimidating, promising trouble and turmoil behind them but not giving any hints as to how terrifying it would be.

 

“So, are you guys ready?”

 

Hearing both steady and rippling breaths alike, Woojin presented a hearty smile to his friends, something to assure them that everything would be alright, even if he didn’t know what was waiting for them. He slowly turned, pressing his hands against the cool metal before the screeches of the jagged spikes at the bottom of the door slowly dragged across the floor resonated throughout the area. Woojin ushered everyone into the ill lit room where ten wooden chairs were lined up in a row. As they stared in confusion at the rather empty space, the doors firmly shut behind them, letting them know that there was no going back; they were in this for the long run now.

 

Lights began to pop around them, beginning to illuminate the area and give them an indication on where they were supposed to walk. Nothing else besides the chairs sat in the room and they took this as an invitation to sit until they received the instructions that would allow them to begin the first trial. Settling down, the silence within the gigantic room with towering stone walls was amplified in their ears and made the anxiousness tense up within their chests.

 

“Can they just start this damn thing already?” Changbin muttered, glancing at Felix to his left who seemed to be of the exact same mindset.

 

As if on cue, the air fizzled around them, drawing all of their attention to a few feet in front of them. Beginning to form was the silhouette of a woman, nothing more than an outline of a body that radiated a green flame and let a voice flow through the spectre.

 

“Good day, everyone. You have chosen to take on the Rautaja Fortress. We wish you the best of luck and hope you succeed.”

 

“Bullshit but go on,” Hyunjin snorted as he straightened himself in his seat to get ready for the explanation about the trial that was to follow.

 

“I will be your guide through all of the levels, however many you manage to get through. As you take on each floor, I will appear and explain what it is exactly that you have to do. So, welcome to the first trial of the Rautaja Fortress. Are you ready?”

 

All boys quickly nodded their heads towards the woman and awaited the explanation on how they were to try and conquer the first of the seven levels that they would come up against.

 

“Excellent. Then sit back and relax.”

 

Unfortunately, even if things didn’t turn sour, there was no way that any of them would allow themselves to relax under the circumstances. This thought was only furthered when their wrists and ankles suddenly became bound by metal bars as they sat in their chairs, restricting any movement that they had previously. It was uncomfortable and and incredibly tight as all of them struggled against their restraints but they all knew that this was a part of the first level of the Fortress and they eventually began to relax; all except for one.

 

Minho turned to his right upon hearing small whimpers as he saw Jisung continually struggling against the constraints that were placed around his extremities. He seemed a little out of it, the feeling of being tied down clouding his mind. The Tracker suddenly realised why this seemed to affect him so much, what it reminded him of and he couldn’t fault him for having a bit of an overreaction to his situation. This had happened to him before, being bound against his will and what had happened after that incident had changed Jisung in more ways than one.

 

“Jisung? Sunshine, look at me.”

 

The boy looked up to Minho as he constantly pulled his wrists even though there was no wiggle room for him to get anywhere. It was obvious that Jisung didn’t care, his indifference to the situation made more prominent by how his wrists were beginning to become irritated from struggling.

 

“Hey, hey, you’re ok. Listen to me. You’re not back in that place, you’re not back with Gyujin. We got out of there together, yeah? You’re with me now and you know I would never allow something like that to happen to you again so, just relax and we’ll get through these tests together. Breathe, sunshine, for me? You can do it, I know you can. I know you.”

 

It seemed that Minho’s words slowly seeped into Jisung, finding their way to both his heart and head as his thrashing lessened considerably when the Tracker whispered more reassurances while maintaining eye contact with a loving smile. Once Jisung nodded with watery eyes, letting Minho know that he was alright, everything slowly seemed to return to normal before the woman spoke once again.

 

“The first trial is simple. Since there are nine people in your group, nine riddles will be put to you. If you know the answer to the question being asked, you must say your name and give the correct response straight after. You may not converse with each other once the trial has begun and anyone who is caught doing so will be eliminated.”

 

That was the first sign that they were truly within the Fortress and laying their life down as a wager in this gamble that they had decided to take. As if hearing the woman’s words, a small click arose from the underneath one of the armrests where their wrists were still securely held. A miniscule needle, which Minho could only assume was filled with poison or worse, popped merely centimeters away from his hand, ready and able to plunge straight into his veins were he to get caught speaking with his members during the test.

 

“If the person who chooses to answer guesses correctly, then they may choose which member from your team to release from your shackles. Whoever it is that is freed must proceed straight over there to the designated waiting area.”

 

The woman gestured to the corner of the room where a poorly drawn black rectangle covered the floor. None of them had noticed it upon entering the room but it didn’t seem like a very important detail to them at the moment since they were being threatened with death for getting a simple question incorrect.

 

“Once there, those who are saved are not allowed to leave or speak and if they do, they will-”

 

“Let me guess: be eliminated?” Seungmin sighed, rolling his eyes at the predictable pattern emerging but he didn’t miss the way the woman’s words halted for a moment.

 

“They will be eliminated. Also, if the person who chooses to answer is incorrect, they will be eliminated. If the timer runs out and nobody has given a sufficient answer, one member of your team will be eliminated at random.”

 

“Man, they were really inventive when they came up with this stuff, huh?” Woojin smirked, earning a low chuckle from Chan. Despite their situation, they had agreed to try their best to keep their spirits up. No point being pessimistic in a place like this. The Bard believed in your attitude having an effect on the outcome of your actions and this wasn’t the place to mess around with things like that.

 

“You will have three minutes to answer each riddle and the time begins after I have finished reading it out to you. Seventy five percent of all teams who entered the Fortress managed to pass this level. If you are ready, please give confirmation and we shall begin.”

 

Chan looked to all of the others, making sure that they were truly prepared for the first trial. Getting verification in the form of little nods and anxious stares, the Knight turned back to the woman in front of him and cleared his throat.

 

“We’re ready.”

 

With that, the woman evaporated into thin air and was replaced with a screen that buzzed to life before scribblings scrawled across the middle, giving them their first riddle of the trial. Though the woman was nowhere to be seen, her voice fell from the ceiling and began to read off the words ahead of them.

 

_“Riddle one: What word in the English language does the following: the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great man, while the entire word signifies a great woman?”_

 

Changbin shook his head to try and clear any cobwebs that may be blurring his thoughts because, as far as he was concerned, he couldn’t seem to wrap his head around what was being asked of them. He was just hoping that someone else was having better luck trying to decipher the riddle on the screen in front of them.

 

“Seungmin.”

 

Everyone whipped their heads around to stare at the Illusionist who still had his eyes examining the screen to make sure he knew what he was going to answer. He realised it wouldn’t be very much fun to die on the very first question during the very first trial, especially in front of all of his friends.

 

“The word is heroine.”

 

“Care to explain?” the voice from above coaxed, though Seungmin scoffed rather dramatically since he knew an explanation wasn’t due. All they had been asked for was an answer so this was really just pressing them for extra information that wasn’t needed. Still, he was going to degrade the people who set up this little game as much as he could and if rubbing his knowledge in their faces was a way to do it then, yes, he would give them a goddamn explanation.

 

“The first two letters signify a man. ‘He’ is the word you’re looking for there. The first three signify a woman. Add ‘r’ onto he and you get ‘her’, hence, relating to a woman. Next, you’re looking for a word that represents a great man. The first four letters spell out ‘hero’ and the whole word is ‘heroine’, signifying a great woman. Is that enough of an _explanation_ for all of you?” Seungmin snipped with hostility lacing his voice, hatred weaving in and out as the Illusionist made no attempt to hide it.

 

“Correct, you may choose a member to save.”

 

Basking in Seungmin’s beautiful mind, wondering how he had managed to answer such a riddle in under thirty seconds, all of the members let a small laugh go, thankful that they had such a friend with such quick wit on their team.

 

“Let Jeongin go.”

 

The Necromancer’s head shot to the left, obviously beginning to object and tell Seungmin to let other members go before him but everyone else quickly shook their heads, reminding Jeongin that if he spoke outside of answering the riddles, he would be eliminated. He sighed quietly but immediately stood up once his wrists had been freed and began to rub them to soothe the sting that accompanied the pressure of being tied down for too long. Making his way over and into the waiting area, a clear screen rose above him, clearly there to stop him if he attempted to break free and make an unwanted movements. Jeongin nodded with thanks towards Seungmin who simply returned the gesture with a kind smile.

 

_“Riddle two: You walk up a mountain that has two paths. One leads to the other side of the mountain, and the other will get you lost forever. Two twins know the path that leads to the other side. You can ask them only one question. Except! One lies and one tells the truth, and you don't know which is which. So, what do you ask?”_

 

The clock slowly ticked away, each movement of a second being loud enough to break the stifling silence. Jeongin looked on with clasped hands and terrified eyes. He just hoped that Seungmin answering the first question wasn’t a fluke and that he would not be the only one left to try and take on the rest of the Fortress by himself.

 

“Seungmin.”

 

The Necromancer let go a heavy sigh, not needing to hear Seungmin’s answer to know that it was more than likely correct. He just had that kind of faith in his friend.

 

“You ask each twin ‘what would your brother say the route is?’ This works because, well, let's say the correct path is on the left side. So, you ask the liar ‘what would your brother say?’ The liar would know his brother was honest and he would say the left side, but since the liar lies, he would say right. If you asked the honest twin the same question, he would say right, because he knows his brother will lie. Therefore, you would know that the correct path was the left.”

 

Chan nodded slowly, beginning to understand Seungmin’s reasoning but at the same time, trying to grasp how in the fresh hell he managed to figure out the answer to such a mind boggling riddle. The Knight thought to himself that it would have taken him ages to try and figure that out and having only three minutes, he would have most certainly been dead by now.

 

“Correct, you may choose another member to save.”

 

Considering his options, he knew that each and every one of his friends didn’t want to be saved, wishing that the others in their group would be safe before them. This is why Seungmin knew that none of them would be offended if they were the last one to be picked. He would never pick himself, he knew that his knowledge on challenges like this was needed so he was going to stay for as long as he possibly could.

 

“Jisung.”

 

Looking a little angry and relieved at the same time, Jisung began to stand, thankful that he was freed from something that reminded him far too much of past events. Before running over to Jeongin, he turned and bowed deeply towards Seungmin, quickly scurrying over to their youngest friend and patting his hair when Jeongin pulled him into a hug.

 

_“Riddle three: Three playing are cards in a row. Can you name them with these clues? There is a two to the right of a king. A diamond will be found to the left of a spade. An ace is to the left of a heart. A heart is to the left of a spade. Now, identify all three cards.”_

 

“Seungmin.”

 

Hyunjin rolled his eyes with a grin, thinking that, not only was Seungmin kind, beautiful and courageous but he had a mind that rival probably anyone he’d ever met when it came to intelligence. It took the Illusionist less than twenty seconds to figure out the third riddle and that blew his mind more than anything else. He knew that he was damn lucky to have ever run into someone like him, let alone fall in love.

 

“Ace of diamonds, king of hearts, two of spades.”

 

The voice that rang from above almost held a hint of irritation but they could do nothing about it; Seungmin wasn’t going to stop for anything, not when his friend’s lives were at stake.

 

“Correct, please-”

 

“Choose another member to save. Yeah, I get how this works now. You don’t have to keep repeating that same phrase over and over again,” grumbled Seungmin, obviously becoming tired of this game they were playing with him.

 

“I choose Felix.”

 

This earned Seungmin a rather toothy grin from both Hyunjin and Changbin, both relieved that their best friend and boyfriend respectively was now free. The Illusionist was sure he saw Felix’s lip quiver a little as his hands and feet were released and he gave a thumbs up to Seungmin still situated in his chair.

 

_“Riddle four: Imagine you are in a sinking boat surrounded by shark infested waters. How do you escape?”_

 

Quicker than lightning, knowing that he had heard this particular riddle before, Seungmin began to feel awfully cocky as he answered back with a lighthearted tone.

 

“Seungmin. You just stop imagining. And before you ask, I want to free Minho hyung.”

 

The Tracker looked a little surprised to say the least, swiveling around in his chair as much as he could to raise his eyebrows at the red headed boy who still wore Minho’s scarf around his neck. He wondered why Seungmin had chosen him, he would have been fine staying until the end, he had endured worse situations than this but then again, that was probably the exact reason that Seungmin had let him go free.

 

_“Riddle five: A man wants to enter an exclusive club, but doesn’t know the password, so he watches the bouncer to figure it out. A woman comes up and the bouncer says, ‘12’. The woman replies, ‘6’. The bouncer lets her in. Another woman comes up and the bouncer says, ‘6’. The woman says ‘3’ and the bouncer lets her in. The man feels he’s heard enough and goes up to the door. The bouncer says ‘10’ and the man replies, ‘5’. The bouncer tells him to get lost. What should the man have said instead?”_

 

“Do I have to keep saying my name each time? Whatever. Seungmin. He should have said three. The bouncer was asking each person to name the amount of letters in the number he provided, not what half of the number was. When the bouncer said twelve, the woman replied six because that’s how many letters are in the word twelve. He asked the man for the letters in ten and he said five, which was incorrect. The correct answer was three.”

 

Not hearing the usual reply that came from the voice above, Seungmin snickered since he already knew the answer was correct. Raising his eyebrows at the silence, the Illusionist simply looked to his right and smiled at the next person he was going to set free.

 

“I choose Hyunjin.”

 

He should have seen it coming. In fact, he _did_ see it coming but he still didn’t want to believe it. Hyunjin wanted to stay seated beside Seungmin until the very last riddle, until he knew that all of his friends were safe. He almost wished that Seungmin had chosen himself before he had chosen Hyunjin but of course, that was never going to be the case, not when he was the only one managing to figure out the answers in time. Throwing a sombre smile in Seungmin’s direction, he felt the latches around his wrists undo, a sign to show him that he was to make his way over to his friends in the corner. Before he did, he leaned over to Seungmin, pushing his fringe aside and placing a gentle kiss full of purpose to the Illusionist’s forehead. They said no speaking, they didn’t say anything about touching, Hyunjin thought, leaving Seungmin with a smile and a lot more positivity.

 

 _“Riddle six:_ _Five hundred begins it, five hundred ends it, five in the middle is seen. The first of all letters and the first of all numbers take the spaces between. Now put it together and you will discover the name of a once famous king. Who is it?”_

 

Seungmin tilted his head a tad, finding this riddle had to be thought out just that little bit more as he mumbled possibilities to himself but not loud enough that he would be eliminated for speaking. He began to think in numbers, wondering what it could possibly mean when he saw the timer reach over one minute. It suddenly hit him that he shouldn’t be thinking of numbers but letters that signified them if he was trying to look for a name. He sighed heavily when he realised he had been going about his thought process in the wrong way.

 

“Seungmin. D is the Roman numeral for 500. Therefore, the name begins and ends with the letter ‘D’. V is the Roman numeral for 5 so that takes the middle spot. A is the first of all letters so that fits in between ‘D’ and ‘V’ and I is the Roman numeral for 1, the first of all numbers so that should complete the name. The answer is David, a once famous king.”

 

Woojin let out a short laugh at the Illusionist to his left. He wanted so badly to congratulate Seungmin on working that out, for managing to decipher all of them but he knew he couldn’t do that until they were all safe and making their way to the next level.

 

“Free Changbin hyung.”

 

Seeing the Medic hop up with a reassuring wink, Seungmin gestured for him to get going to the designated waiting area already with a bob of his head, just wanting this to be over as fast as possible.

 

 _“Riddle seven:_ _A murderer is condemned to death. He is given the choice between three rooms. The first room is full of raging fires. The second is full of assassins with loaded guns. The third is full of lions that haven’t eaten in six months. Which room should he choose?”_

 

Once again, Seungmin was quicker that anyone else, before Chan or Woojin fully took in what was being asked of them as he uttered his name for the seventh time.

 

“Seungmin. He should probably choose the room full of lions because if they haven’t eaten in six months, I would think that they would be super dead. Let Woojin hyung go.”

 

It was amusing to Chan that the woman who had been speaking to them had completely given up on asking the red headed boy who he would like to be freed, simply taking it for granted that Seungmin would more than likely get the question right and in turn have already decided who it was that was to be released. They were so close that he could almost taste it. The trials looked like they weren’t going to be easy by any means but if it played to one of their members’ strengths like it had with Seungmin, they might just have a good damn chance of getting far.

 

 _“Riddle eight: Two fathers and their two sons go hunting in the woods. They each shoot a rabbit and bring it home. They don’t lose any rabbits but only have three when they arrive. How is that possible?_ **_”_ **

 

Moving his fingers as his hands were still being restrained by the metal bars, Seungmin began to count in his head and figure out the possibilities before he snapped his thumb against his middle finger as a way to signal that he got it, being thankful since he could now let the final member of his team go besides himself.

 

“Seungmin. There are only three men. They are from three generations. A grandfather, his son, and his grandson. There are two fathers: the grandfather and the father and there are two sons; the father and the son. Therefore there are only three people. Free Chan hyung.”

 

As the bars popped open, Chan slowly jumped up, strolling over to Seungmin and placing a firm but gentle hand behind his neck, knowing he wasn’t supposed to utter a word but his eyes doing more than enough to convey what he was trying to say: _‘you can do this, all of us believe in you, come and meet us when you’re ready.’_ The Illusionist simply nodded as he watched Chan walk away to join the others. He was almost there, he could taste it, all he had to do was answer one more riddle and they will have made it through the first trial with little to no trouble. Seungmin reclined a little, trying to focus as much as he could before the last question for his freedom popped up on screen.

 

 _“Final riddle:_ _What row of numbers comes next in this series?”_

 

The screen buzzed for the final time as Seungmin got ready to try and decipher the puzzle that would save his life and allow him to move onto the second level of the Fortress with his members. When the numbers popped up on screen, Seungmin’s eyes blew wide at the pyramid that stood ahead, his mind scrambling to make sense of probably the most difficult riddle that had been put to him.

 

_1_

_11_

_21_

_1211_

_111221_

_312211_

_13112221_

_1113213211_

 

Seungmin couldn’t seem to grasp the dilemma, his head running through so many possibilities on how he could answer with the correct solution. He became very aware of time passing him by, knowing that since he was the last member left, he would be the one to be eliminated were he to run out of minutes or jump in with an incorrect answer. The time rushed by too quickly and he could see that he had less than thirty seconds left to try and save his own skin and the panic from the worried stares of his friends wasn’t making things any easier.

 

As the clock edged closer to three minutes, Hyunjin couldn’t hold himself back anymore, leaping forwards only to be pulled back by Chan who encapsulated him in his arms while Woojin clasped a hand over his mouth to deter him from speaking; that would only get him killed and that would be an awful way to repay all of the hard work that Seungmin had gone through to get him out of such a dire situation. They wanted to go to him too, to make sure he was safe; he had allowed all of them to go free and they wouldn’t dream about progressing without him, no matter what. However, Seungmin had another fifteen seconds to decipher what the next line of the sequence was and they were going to trust that he would be able to figure it out in time. They were putting all of their hope and faith that he would.

 

Before the rest of the younger boys could manage to panic and burst through the magical barrier holding them in, they heard the one word that caused anxiety and relief to surge to breaking point.

 

“Seungmin. The answer is 31131211131221...I think.”

 

He looked around for confirmation but was left in silence and he knew that this was probably a bit of payback for being so cheeky with his earlier answers in the night. After a tense quietness, the woman’s voice popped up once again, a slight playful lilt to it as if making fun of the terrified state the final question had managed to put all of them in.

 

“Care to explain?”

 

“I think that every line describes the line before it. The first line is 1, therefore the second line shows that there is one ‘1’ in the first line. The third line shows that there are two ‘1’s’ in the second line. The fourth line shows that there is one ‘2’ and one ‘1’ in the third line and so on and so forth. Therefore, at the end, the answer is 31131211131221.”

 

As he waited for confirmation on his answer, he glanced over to Hyunjin and his acutely alarmed expression as Chan and Woojin still held onto him with all of their strength to make sure he didn’t disrupt the Illusionist in his work. Keeping their eyes locked on each other, Seungmin heard a click, the needle, whose objective was to end his life were he to slip up, retracted back into the arm of the chair as Seungmin’s hands and legs were freed, signaling that he had managed to complete the first trial by himself. He had saved his friends’ lives as well as his own and if he was being honest, once the relief set in, he felt rather proud of himself.

 

Before he could make his way over to his friends, who were still being encased behind the magically barrier that had not yet dissipated, the spectre came to stand in front of him, radiating a strong energy that Seungmin could swear he almost felt rush through him.

 

“Congratulations on completing the first trial of the Rautaja Fortress. You may proceed to the next level. Between here and level two, there is a rest area. You may stay there for a maximum of twenty four hours before you must move onto the next trial. I shall see you on the other side.”

 

And with that, the woman, screen and chairs that had been previously situated in the room all disappeared, nothing left but the nine boys and the door that led to the upper level that suddenly unlocked and swung open, inviting them to advance.

 

Seungmin barely had time to register what had just occurred before he saw Hyunjin sprinting towards him, wrapping his arms around the Illusionist’s neck and trying to drown out his sobs as he hid away in Seungmin’s chest, the pressure of the situation finally catching up with him. The others joined them slowly, giving Hyunjin time to hold Seungmin like he never wanted to let go.

 

“Fuck, Minnie, could you have answered that last question any slower? I thought you didn’t know the answer! I thought I was gonna lose-” Hyunjin’s words caught in his throat as a sob tried to break its way through before Seungmin began ghosting his fingers along the Alchemist’s jaw, leading up to his hair and gently patting it down to soothe his unneeded fears.

 

“You didn’t lose me, Jinnie, I’m right here. See? I’m not going anywhere. But, you know, thanks for all the help during the first trial and all,” joked Seungmin, trying to elevate the sombre mood that Hyunjin was drowning in.

 

Pulling back his swiped his thumbs underneath the other’s eyes, erasing any tears that had managed to break free before gently joining their lips and smiling at the fact that this only seemed to make Hyunjin cry harder. Once the Alchemist was sure that he could release Seungmin for more than a couple of seconds without freaking out, the others in the group ran up to the Illusionist, gawking and shouting about their amazement of his knowledge.

 

“Seungminnie, thank the skies above that you were on our team because we would literally all be dead if you weren’t. I don’t think I would have gotten a single one of those in three minutes,” Minho cooed, ruffling the red head atop the boy’s head with a rather fanatical grin.

 

“Tell me about it. The way your mind works? Insanity!” Jisung squealed while pulling Seungmin into a hug which was returned tenfold.

 

“How about we all head up to the resting area and take a minute to collect ourselves?” Woojin suggested, motioning to the open door that led towards the next level.

 

Climbing up the stairs felt like an eternity. They had spent maybe an hour at most during that trial between coming in and finishing it but it felt like so much of their strength had been sapped already. All they wanted to do was fall onto a pile of blankets and sleep for a week but then again, they knew they couldn’t do that when they didn’t even have a week to complete the Fortress. They agreed that they would spend around eight hours in the rest area at most, allowing everyone to sleep if they so wished to re-energize themselves before taking off to the next room.

 

As they walked through the wooden door that swung open with a groan, they didn’t expect much in the way of what would be waiting for them and while it was no luxurious accommodation by any standards, it would suffice for what they needed it for. Ten single beds lined the back wall, covered in fluffy duvets and feather pillows. To the left side of the room, there lay a table that held, strangely, a fresh bouquet of orange and gold flowers in the centre. Settled around the arrangement were bottles of water and a bowl of fruit that looked to have been put there recently. A restroom where they could wash up was to the right of the room, hopefully one that held hot water, Chan thought. However, only a single light bulb swung from the ceiling; no windows decorated the walls to allow any rays from the outside into the dimly lit room.

 

Feeling a little bit of joviality bubble up in their chests, Jisung pulled Felix in by the arm, whispering like he held the most important secret in the entire world in the Beast Master’s ear before both sprinting towards the beds situated in front of them. With a little more strength than necessary, both boys started to push all of the beds together, squishing them beside each other until they created one, long sleeping arrangement, knowing that they should all stay as close to each other as they could in a dangerous place such as this, both of them receiving a wide smile from his other members as they all rushed forwards and jumped onto the mattresses that bounced and creaked under the collective weight.

 

Laying back as some of them went and began to devour some of the food available to them while others went to refresh themselves in the bathroom, Hyunjin flopped backwards onto the pillows, immediately pulling Seungmin back with him. Positioning himself so that his leg was swung over Seungmin’s as he tried to pull the boy in a little closer, Hyunjin nuzzled their noses together, garnering a magnificent giggle in response.

 

“Were you worried about me, Jinnie? Did you not trust me to get the job done?” Seungmin joked, never really doubting Hyunjin’s beliefs but after seeing the reaction when he had been freed to meet back up with him, he wanted to make sure the other was alright.

 

“I always worry about you, Minnie but it’s not because I don’t trust you. I think that’s what this game has done to me. It’s the same when it comes to all of the others. I’ve seen what all of them have gone through and I worry that they’ll have to go through that pain again. I know that I can be powerless when it comes to helping you out sometimes and that scares me but it seems that you didn’t need my help or anyone else's for that matter. How does your mind work?”

 

“Guess I got lucky.”

 

“Bullshit. It may have been possible to be lucky on one but you managed all nine by yourself within a time limit. I think a few of us would have been able to get them eventually but your brain just seems to work overtime when it comes to protecting your friends and I’m grateful for that.”

 

Brushing his fingertips across the Illusionist’s forehead, Hyunjin smirked as Seungmin sighed lightly and closed his eyes as he relished in the affection being thrown towards him.

 

“I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like without you, if you hadn’t found me in the crowd in Aquaria and asked for help, if we had decided that it wasn’t our place to intervene in your problems and it makes me feel physically sick. It’s funny, I really can’t imagine it without you being there anymore.”

 

Seungmin slowly opened his eyes to fully take in the boy in front of him, the one that looked at him like he held an entire galaxy of stars in his eyes, like he was the most stunning piece of art that rivaled all others, like he was the most important and beautiful thing he could ever possibly imagine. Carefully grasping his free hand as Hyunjin continued to caress his cheek, Seungmin placed a chaste kiss on the Alchemist’s fingers before leaning into his touch.

 

“I promise you that you will never have to think about your life without me in it. I am here for you, now and forever so, don’t think about such things anymore, Jinnie, alright?”

 

Hyunjin nodded with his nose still touching off of the Illusionist's, pulling up the covers until both of them were snuggled closely together, Hyunjin’s face hidden away in Seungmin’s chest. They could eat and wash up later. For now, all he wanted to do was be surrounded by Seungmin’s devotion and tenderness.

 

“Love you, Minnie.”

 

“Love you too, Jinnie. Now, sleep.”

 

Chan sometimes wished that there were cameras in this world because the way that Seungmin and Hyunjin had fallen asleep made all of them practically melt inside. He wanted to preserve this moment for a lifetime but figured that they would get plenty of chances to tease them about it with evidence once they managed to complete the trials and get out of this place. Another reason to put all of their efforts into their abilities so that they could succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me and my sappy Seungjin self. I love our intelligent dandy boy. But will all of the trials go as smoothly as this one? Who knows? Well, I do...See you next week!


	48. Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The weeks are certainly flying by. So many of you were saying that you would have been dead after the last trial. Don't worry, I would have been too but hey, you would have a team with you that could have helped! Here is trial number 2 for all of you. Hope you enjoy!

“Do we really have to wake them up? I mean, I know we  _ have _ to but…”

 

Chan sat at the end of the beds supplied to them and couldn’t help but gush over how adorable Hyunjin and Seungmin looked curled around each other. Neither of them had moved in all of the time after they had fallen asleep, more than likely drained from the trials they had completed almost eight hours ago. Foreheads practically touching, their lips mere centimeters apart, both boys looked to be in a state of complete bliss. 

 

“Ok, I think whoever is going to do it will probably be eaten alive by the two of them when they wake up. Not it!” Jisung yelled, immediately clasping a hand over his mouth when he saw Seungmin crack an eye open after his outburst and glare at him in a way that made the Thief feel like all the happiness was being sucked out of his body. 

 

“Could you actually be any louder?” 

 

“Sorry, Seungminnie but we need to get moving. Wake up your cuddle buddy and move it!” Jisung thought that, since he was already getting the death glare from the Illusionist, he might as well have a little bit of fun while he was at it. His overconfidence didn’t last very long though as Seungmin jolted upright, looking like he was going to attack the slightly older boy before Jisung ran away screaming for Minho to come and protect him from the ‘rabid dog.’ 

 

“Jinnie, time to get up,” Seungmin yawned, gently trying to stir the Alchemist from his slumber. He already knew that attempting to wake Hyunjin up on a good day was a task in itself but after the events of the last trial, Seungmin was sure that Hyunjin had been sapped of his energy due to the fear that had been running through his veins at incredible speed because of Seungmin’s bare escape from almost becoming nothing more than a memory. 

 

Getting a few annoyed grunts from the Alchemist who quickly pulled the duvet over his head, Seungmin sighed heavily before sitting back on his knees and glancing fondly at the piles of blankets hiding a sleeping boy underneath. The Illusionist gingerly pulled the blankets down just enough so that he could see Hyunjin’s face, stopping at his chin before bending down and leaving a soft peck on his lips. It seemed to rouse the elder from his sleep just a little when he began to move to chase Seungmin’s lips as they moved further away from him until he face planted into the mattress when his arms were still too tangled in the sheets to stop himself from falling. 

 

“Ah, finally decided to join the world of the living, Jinnie?” 

 

“I don’t wanna be here. Send me back…” Hyunjin groaned, trying his best to find his way back under the blankets before Seungmin threw them off and rolled the Alchemist off the bed and straight onto the floor with a resounding thump. 

 

“That was fucking cold, Seungmin,” Changbin grimaced when he heard the bang that came from the now pouting Hyunjin sprawled across the hardwood floor. 

 

“It’s a good thing I love you or I’d…” Hyunjin trailed off as he tried to collect himself while the Illusionist looked on smugly at him. 

 

“Yeah? What would you do to me, Jinnie?” 

 

It took all of two seconds before Seungmin was screaming out for someone to help him but his words became jumbled as giggles emanating from both himself and Hyunjin got in the way of his thoughts. While he knew that he had become stronger both physically and in his mentality, there was no way that he could fend off Hyunjin’s hands as they scraped and poked at his sides, not when the Alchemist had spent the majority of his time in Phantasm learning hand to hand combat to protect himself. 

 

“If the two of you are done fooling around, we’d actually like to go and attempt the second trial that may kill us. Come on now, kids. Let’s not keep imminent death waiting!” Jisung clapped, finally managing to get the two boys up and dressed. 

 

Nobody even bothered to clean up the mess of blankets and towels that had been strewn across the floor after all of them had settled in last night. It wouldn’t make any difference to anyone anymore. They would be the last ones to use this room from what they knew so, why bother wasting time in making it immaculate again? Closing the door behind them, they began to ascend the stairs that would lead all of them to their next task, the second trial of the Fortress. 

 

* * *

 

“No way. There’s no way something like this could exist in here. It’s not possible.” 

 

Chan couldn’t help but agree with Hyunjin’s statement as each and every one of them stared at the spectacle in front of them. They knew that they were all still inside the Fortress because it was made very clear that, once they were inside, they could not exit unless they had completed the seven levels. What stood ahead of them, however, made them start to doubt that. Above them was a cloud filled sky, one that loomed over them and emitted a terrifyingly dark atmosphere. It seemed to stretch on forever, as far as the eye could see but they knew that it must be an illusion, a simulation because the Fortress could never hold a room this size. 

 

Falling below it and what was obviously their next feat to conquer was a maze, one so enormous that they were sure that, were they to enter it, it could take forever to get out. It stretched on for miles, so much so that they couldn’t see the other side from where they stood. Branches and nettles protruded from the walls that were made from leaves and thickets, thorns edging themselves towards the walkways that led up to the starting point. The ground was firm beneath their feet despite it being covered in luscious looking emerald grass. Ten spots were marked, obviously where each member was to stand before entering and attempting to find their way to the end goal. 

 

For a few seconds, nothing but silence filled the air, nobody daring to speak in case they weren’t supposed to but they figured that each floor held different rules compared to the others. If they hadn’t been instructed not to talk, then they were sure that it was alright. Still they didn’t wish to take the chance just yet. After a moment more, their guide who had left them after the first trial appeared again, her ghostly form hanging above them and waiting to give them instructions.  

 

“Welcome to the second trial of the Rautaja Fortress. I trust that you have all rested well and that you are ready for what awaits you. Your task on this level is a simple one: make it to the centre of the maze of memories and reunite with one another.” 

 

“Reunite?” 

 

Changbin didn’t get to ask what the woman meant a second time before he heard a low rumbling beneath his feet. Glancing downwards, the Medic recoiled, jumping back a little bit as he saw sprouts beginning to wiggle their way out of the soil and immediately shooting upwards to tower over them. In a matter of seconds, too quick for anyone to properly react, everyone was separated by tall hedges that had extended from the small branches that had evolved from the sprouts, obscuring their view of each other and leaving them alone. It didn’t take long for fear to take root in each of their souls at the idea of not being beside each other to take on the challenges that were being set out to them. 

 

“Guys! Everyone alright?” 

 

“All good, Channie hyung.”

 

“Yeah, I’m ok.” 

 

“Just got whacked in the face by a branch from these hedges but other than that? I’m fine.” 

 

Everyone immediately called back reassurances to let their friends know that they were unharmed, though, being pulled away from each other so suddenly was already causing many of them to be anxious. They, perhaps carelessly, thought that they would be allowed to complete each of these trials alongside one another, that the tests that they would face would require a team effort but once again, they realised they should have expected the unexpected in a place like this. Ahead of them, the weave of branches and twigs parted to reveal a path, the obvious start of their journey to make it to the middle of the maze, their goal. 

 

“Why the hell is this thing called a maze of memories anyways?” Changbin wondered out loud, hopeful that either his team would be able to provide an answer or the woman who floated overhead would. Luckily, it seemed that their instructor had caught on to his question and moved into a position in which all could keep their gaze upon her. 

 

“During this trial, as I have said, it will be your objective to reach the centre of the maze. Paths will cross and intersect so, you may meet other members of your team before you head towards your final point. However, this is not a simple maze. During your time here, your own memories will be both your worst enemy and your greatest ally. Your emotions will more than likely control you and temptation will be hard to resist.” 

 

“Could they literally be any more god damn vague?” Jisung rolled his eyes with his mocking tone and he didn’t need to see his friends to hear the little snickers coming through the barriers separating them. 

 

“More than anything, your memories will be what could lead you to your goal or deter you from it. Following the precious memories you have experienced may lead to your downfall while overcoming the hardships you have endured may push you down the correct path. Do not trust your happiness, do not follow it if you want to succeed.”

 

“Do not trust our happiness?” Felix whispered to himself, tilting his head as if trying to see things from a different perspective and understand what the woman meant. 

 

“You will not be the only ones within the maze, be sure to know that. Whether they are friend or foe to you is still uncertain. Be careful who you trust. You must all make it to the goal within the allotted time or all of you shall be eliminated. It matters not if eight out of nine make it. If even one of you is left behind, it will cost the rest of your team their lives.” 

 

This made all of them even more alert than they had been before if that was even possible. It wasn’t just a case of them being left behind if they didn’t manage to complete the maze. Their inability could cost their team their lives and none of them were going to let that happen if they could help it. 

 

“You have four hours to complete this task. The countdown will begin once the first person steps into the maze. These will help you keep track of the time.”    


As all of the boys looked down at the tingling on their wrist, they noticed something beginning to form, a ring similar to a watch that showed four hours in bright, red letters, obviously their countdown clock for the trial. The time remained stagnant, all of them knowing that it would begin when the trial commenced.

 

“Sixty one percent of all teams who entered the Fortress managed to pass this level. Good luck.” 

  
It seemed that they weren’t going to be given any more important and strict rules like they had been in the first trial. Many of them thought that, even by the vast size of the maze, they would surely manage to conquer such a feat in that lengthy amount of time that they had been given but they all stopped themselves when they knew that they shouldn’t ever doubt what they could encounter with the walls of the maze, thinking that their guide had been secretive about what lay waiting for them for a reason. Never leave your guard down, that’s what Chan had said to all of them before they entered the doors of the Fortress and they were more than inclined to agree with him and his advice. 

 

“Guys, do whatever you can to stay safe and if you have any abilities that can help you locate one another, don’t hesitate to use them. Just keep going forwards; we’ll all find each other.”

 

All of them nodded furiously to Woojin’s advice, knowing that it would probably take some time to find each other based on the size of the gargantuan maze, even for those like Jeongin and Minho who could discover where their friends were. They had been told that their paths could eventually cross and hoped that it would happen sooner rather than later so that it would be somewhat easier to traverse through the miles of the maze that were in front of them. Keeping that thought in mind, they separated with one final goodbye until they were to find each other once again. 

 

* * *

 

The little, blue wisp bobbed in front of Jeongin’s eyes as he followed his spirit down the path he had begun to traverse down. As he headed further into the maze, the ground began to become uneven, rocks and gravel lining the floor that made him trip up every so often before moving to steady himself. It made his hair stand on end when he thought about what would happen if he didn’t manage to figure this gigantic maze out on his own. What if he was the only one who wasn’t able to find his way to the center to meet up with the rest of his members? Would they all disappear because he wasn’t smart enough to conquer such a feat on his own? What if he was the weak link that cost them the game?

 

Almost as if it sensed its master’s distress, the wisp that he had asked to guide him stopped momentarily and circled the Necromancer’s head to try and snap him out of his episode that was making him think such unwanted thoughts. 

 

“I’m ok, I’m ok. Let’s keep going, yeah?” 

 

Petting the flickering flames on top of the ghost’s head, Jeongin smiled at the small comfort his wisp had bestowed upon him. Usually, Jeongin would ask his wisps to lead him to friends one by one but he didn’t know who the closest was and in the end, he could end up trying to reach the person furthest away from him. He thought it best to leave trying to find the others until he ventured further into the maze, until they were closer to their goal. For now, he let the little light guide him through the darkness of the night. 

 

Almost immediately after they had begun the second trial, the sky overhead, which was already a foreboding kind of gray, changed to a pitch black night sky devoid of any stars or clouds. Perhaps somewhat fortunately, the moon still maintained its place in the vastness above, allowing a small portion of light to illuminate the way leading to the center of the maze. Jeongin wondered how the rest of them were managing to walk the paths in almost complete darkness; it wouldn’t have been an easy task for him either if he didn’t have his wisp to brighten the area. 

 

The Necromancer couldn’t help but ponder over the instructions that all of them had been given before they had started the trial. Whatever ‘don’t trust your happiness’ could have meant, he wasn’t too sure but Jeongin made sure to keep his guard up and wariness at its peak for the duration of the test. 

 

Wind rustling the leaves around him, Jeongin felt an unwelcome wind creep around his neck as the chill seeped into his bones. Cradling his arms close to his chest, the youngest boy scanned around him as he came to an intersection, one that showed him three different directions he could take. There was nothing to signify which path he should go down; it was just a matter of guesswork at this stage. He felt so lost and uncertain in himself even though he knew he couldn’t afford to be. He just wanted to reunite with his friends as fast as possible. In times of doubt, he knew who he would usually call but he figured that since he wasn’t allowed to leave the Fortress, his wisps wouldn’t be either. He would just have to brave the storm alone. Jeongin could do that, he was strong, he knew that and he knew of far too many people who believed that too. 

 

As he debated the correct direction to take, his wisp seemed to want to guide him down a particular path, slowly making its way towards the center aisle and urging its master to follow it towards their goal. However, being so immersed in zoning in on the light, Jeongin never noticed the new presence approaching him, one that held both warmth and danger beneath the surface of its facade. 

 

“Jeongin?” 

 

At the sound of his name, the Necromancer would usually have whipped around in surprise but the voice that carried the words made him stomach sink, a prickly feeling nipping at his skin. He thought it was a trick of the mind at first but when he heard the utterance a second time, he slowly turned to see a figure gazing at him lovingly, a smile he had not seen in quite some time. The floral summer dress danced around her knees as her eyes sparkled in the way he remembered. Bouncy, auburn curls flowed around her shoulders and the way she tilted her head as she giggled in such a unique manner made Jeongin so weak that he couldn’t help the tears that immediately sprung up. 

 

“Mom?” 

 

“Hi, baby. Are you ok? Why are you crying?” 

 

Jeongin stumbled backwards, feet getting caught in some brambles behind him that caused him to lose his footing and fall to the floor. Hands desperately scrambling for something to ground himself, The Necromancer could feel his fingers being scratched up by the thorns protruding from beneath the stones but he couldn’t find it within himself to care, not when the woman he loved with all his heart and lost so many years ago was standing in front of him, gazing at him with so much love that it made his heart sing. He knew this couldn’t be real, it just couldn’t be but his head seemed to be losing the battle against his emotions when his mother bent down to meet him and softly caressed his cheek with gentle fingers. It felt so real, so incredibly safe that Jeongin couldn’t help but automatically lean into the touch that had evaded him for far too long. 

 

“There’s my boy. What are you doing out here all by yourself? We have to hurry, you’re father is waiting in the car to go to the beach, just like you wanted. He won’t be happy if he’s left waiting for too much longer. I think he wants to get crushed ice more than you do at this stage,” she giggled, a singsong laugh that made Jeongin begin to lose his grip on reality. 

 

He couldn’t seem to find it within him to care if this was real or not. The Necromancer felt his mind become fuzzy, like he was on some sort of drug that was making him unable to focus on anything else but the kind hearted woman standing in front of him, extending a hand that he took almost straight away. Being pulled upwards, Jeongin stumbled a bit but was embraced in a warmth that was far too familiar, one that he never wanted to leave if he could help it. As he opened his eyes again, he noticed his wisp floating in front of his eyes, a strange urgency making it alternate between the soft blue and roaring orange that Jeongin was so used to seeing. He flicked it away; he wasn’t interested in what it had to say now, he finally had his mother back and he wasn’t going to let her go again. 

 

“Sweetheart, are you ready? Let’s go to the sea!” 

 

Grinning up at his mother, Jeongin nodded enthusiastically, reverting back to his seven year old self all over again. Feeling his hands being grasped, Jeongin allowed himself to be guided forwards in his trance like state, feeling a sense of euphoria cloud his senses. He couldn’t even recall what he had been doing before now. There was something he had to accomplish, there was someone waiting for him but he really couldn’t remember anymore. Carefully shuffling his feet, Jeongin made sure not to trip over the deciduous debris falling to the ground. 

 

“Innie! Stop! Don’t go with her!” 

 

“Huh? Woojinnie hyung?” 

 

“Baby? What’s the matter? Come on, we’ve gotta go this way.” 

 

Jeongin looked behind him, finally tearing his gaze away from his mother when his mind started to become clearer, almost as if his friend’s voice had snapped him back to reality. 

 

_ ‘Ah, that’s right, I’m in the maze,’  _ Jeongin thought. His friends were waiting for him; they had to reach the goal together to advance. He needed to go to them, they didn’t have too much time to complete the trial.

 

“I heard Woojinnie hyung calling me. He sounded worried. Maybe we should go back this way and try to find him.” 

 

As Jeongin made a move to retreat, he felt a painful grasp around his wrist, one that made his eyes shoot down to see his mother’s nails indenting themselves into his skin. 

 

“Now, now, I’m sure your friend is fine. Seriously, Jeongin, your father isn’t going to be happy if we make him wait any longer. This way.”

 

“O-ok…” 

 

The Necromancer was immediately dragged forwards with a roughness that he knew his mother would never have shown towards him. He tried to retract his arm but to no avail and it only took seconds for Jeongin to quickly return back to reality and make him realise what kind of situation he had been placed in. He now understood what the woman had meant when she said that they shouldn’t trust their happiness. The most cheerful and content that Jeongin had ever been in his life was when he had finally convinced his parents to journey to the beach so that they could spend their day together but he remembered it sadly ending in tragedy too. 

 

“Innie, fight her! I know you can do this! You’re strong enough!”

 

“Wait, that was Jisungie hyung.”

 

“Jeongin, please, come this way.”  

 

Even though both of the voices he heard sounded far away, he could clearly make out what they were yelling at him and in the end, he trusted his hyungs’ words more than anyone in the world. Jeongin eventually managed to free his wrist from the painful grasp that left blood seeping from the wounds that his mother had inflicted on him. Hopping back a couple of steps while keeping his eyes trained on the woman in front of him, Jeongin noticed his wisp immediately float up to his side, almost as if it was trying to protect his master from an unseen evil. However, it didn’t take Jeongin too long to see the threat that stood mere feet in front of him. Face beginning to morph into something that made the Necromancer’s stomach turn, his mother let out a low growl, one that was almost animalistic in nature. 

 

“Ah, you couldn’t just do as you were told. You were so close to living your days out happily with me, Jeongin. Now, all I can do is make sure that you never live another happy day without me again.” 

 

* * *

 

Woojin scrubbed at his eyes to try and erase the tears that were building up from the frustration of unwanted memories bombarding him in such a realistic fashion. It didn’t take him all that long to figure out the parameters of the game that they were playing within the maze, especially when he started to see people who he had known in his life walking around the area like it was the street he lived on back home, seemingly unaffected that they were stuck inside the Fortress just like he was. The Bard swiftly came to the conclusion that the maze had been so aptly named because it dragged the memories out of your head to use against you, to make you go down the incorrect path. 

 

“ _ ‘Following the precious memories you have experienced may lead to your downfall while overcoming the hardships you have endured may push you down the correct path.’  _ That’s what she said. I need to go down the paths that my bad memories are blocking for me, not the happy ones that are urging me forwards,” Woojin muttered to himself, figuring out what was needed to be done in order to traverse the maze safely. 

 

Even though he was rather confident that he had figured out what it was that he needed to do, he was still agonising over not having found any of his friends yet. It had been close to an hour and there was still no sign of any of them. He knew they still had over half of the time assigned to them to complete the trial but felt it would be a lot easier if he had someone by his side. 

 

It didn’t take much time for Woojin’s first memory to sneak up on him, taking the form of residents of his small town crowding around him, obviously trying to deter him from making his way down the path to his left. He recognised the vast majority of the people but it wasn’t for a particularly good reason; it was for one that he would rather forget. Hushed whispers filled his ears and he tried with all his might to block them out, he didn’t want to hear what he had heard all those years ago. 

 

_ “Did you hear that his father finally died?”  _

 

_ “Well, what did you expect? He’s been ill for so long and trying to feed two kids by himself, he couldn’t afford the treatment.”  _

 

_ “Just awful, it’s such a shame that they’re orphans now.” _

 

_ “The older brother is going to look after him now. Apparently he just turned nineteen.”  _

 

_ “Really? Barely an adult and now he has to carry the burden of looking after a child? I can’t believe that. That’s such an unbelievable weight to put on such young shoulders. So unfair on him.” _

 

Woojin steadied his breathing as he pushed off of the two elderly ladies that weren’t doing all that much to keep their voices down so that the Bard couldn’t hear; they never had in the real world either. Woojin would be walking home from school everyday only to hear them talking in such a normal fashion about how much stress he must have put on his older brother to look after him even though he had been extremely adamant that Woojin would not be going into care, something that made the Bard break down as soon as the words had left his brother’s mouth. It still didn’t stop everyone around him gossiping about how much of a leech he was being. 

 

_ “Good for nothing.” _

 

_ “Why couldn’t you be more giving like your brother?”  _

 

_ “Your parents could have survived if they didn’t have to take care of the both of you.”  _

 

_ “Ungrateful brat.”  _

 

The jabs and jeers increased in intensity and volume until the Bard couldn’t take it anymore. Tired of hearing the constant screams in his ears, Woojin swiftly detached his Spear from his back and placed it through the heart of one of the women to his left. He didn’t feel all that conflicted since he knew that these weren’t real people, just remainders of a life he left back in the real world. His suspicions were only confirmed when the woman let out a long scream but immediately turned to ashes before being swept away by the wind. He continued his annihilation until all of the shadows of his past had drifted away. Feeling the tears prick the corners of his eyes, Woojin exhaled heavily before looking down the path he had cleared. Putting one foot ahead, the young man was about to head onwards but was stopped when he heard his name being softly called out behind him and turned to look. What greeted him made his heart sting but he knew why they were there.

 

“Ah, this seems a little cruel even for you guys, don’t you think? Using  _ them _ against me.” 

 

Talking more to those controlling Phantasm than anyone else, Woojin chuckled slightly when he came face to face with Moonbyul and Seunghoon who were smiling at him with such adoration, the beautiful grins of the two friends he had lost so long ago to the game making his heart hurt. In any other situation, he would have been stunned, too shaken up to understand what was happening but he knew that this was all part of the test, to see if he was strong enough to resist temptation. Woojin wanted to run into their arms so badly but knew that once they had him in their hold, they more than likely wouldn’t let him go to complete the trial. 

 

“Woojinnie, we’re heading to Aquaria now. Let’s go, there are so many beautiful things there. You’ll really love the ocean.”    


The Bard smiled at Moonbyul’s silvery voice, the one he remembered so vividly as he saw Seunghoon nod in agreement beside her. Feeling like he was stuck in place, Woojin lowered his eyes to the ground to break the eye contact that made him feel like he was drowning. 

 

“Sorry, I can’t go that direction, my friends are waiting for me. I won’t forget about either of you but I need to leave you behind now.”

 

Before he could gather a response, he felt a presence behind him, down the path he had cleared moments ago and he knew that this one was not a memory to throw him off. 

 

“Woojinnie hyung!” Jisung yelled, waving ecstatically now that he had found another one of his members to face the trial with. The Thief sprinted towards him with a bounce in his step, noticing strings of light disappearing behind Woojin, his memories failing at their job to divert him and vanishing from sight. 

 

“Jisungie, are you ok?” The Bard immediately pulled the shorter boy into a hug, trying not to restrict him too much but his own ideas were interrupted when Jisung wrapped his arms around his neck and giggled happily. 

 

“Way better now that I found you, hyung.” 

 

“Me too. I guess you figured out what it was that you needed to do to progress. Not that I ever doubted that. You’ve always been clever, Jisungie. Did you run into any of your memories?” 

 

It worried Woojin slightly when the younger’s bubbly laughter slowly decreased until there was nothing but silence. Out of all those in their group, the Bard knew that Jisung would be one of the people who would suffer the most in a trial like this. His past had been more than a little rough and while everyone had their own problems that would haunt them in this particular test, people like Jisung and Minho would have found this particularly difficult to complete, especially on their own. 

 

“Yeah, hyung, I did. I’m fine though.” 

 

Woojin wasn’t too sure he believed Jisung’s words when the boy seemed to tighten his grip slightly and buried his face further into the Bard’s chest. 

 

“Can you tell me what you saw?” 

 

Waiting a few moments, Woojin could nearly already guess what had popped up in front of Jisung to get him to stop going down the correct path but he wasn’t going to rush him into telling him. He would wait until the Thief was ready to speak on his own. 

 

“I saw a couple of things. I saw my grandma, the one who used to look after me instead of my parents when I was young. Since we weren’t supposed to trust our happiness, I figured that the woman trying to get me to follow her was who I wasn’t supposed to trust and went in the opposite direction. Then...then I saw Gyujin.” 

 

He had seen it coming but it didn’t stop Woojin’s heart from constricting painfully at the thought of this game putting the boy through even more trauma, making him see the person who had made his life a living hell for far too long just so they could try and divert him from taking the correct path. More than anything, it made the Bard furious; Jisung shouldn’t have been put through that again. Gently running his hands up and down the Thief’s waist, Woojin hummed in understanding close to Jisung’s ear, attempting to get him to remain calm and it seemed to work as the boy deflated a little further into his arms before pulling away and giving a weak smile. 

 

“I’m ok, hyung. Really. He was just like I remembered him. He started saying all these nasty things, stuff he used to say to me as a kid and when I was with him in Phantasm too. I knew it was just a memory. That’s all he was, right? That’s what this place plays off of. When I attempted to walk past him, he grabbed onto me, saying something about how I wouldn’t ever be able to escape him again.”

 

In a hurry to reassure Jisung that Gyujin wouldn’t be coming back for him, Woojin stumbled over his words, babbling some incoherent nonsense which made Jisung giggle just a little bit before patting his shoulders calmly to let him know that he understood what he was trying to say.

 

“I’ll admit, I panicked a bit. I wanted you or Min or Channie hyung beside me but I kept telling myself that he wasn’t real, this was all a part of the game. The look on his face when I stabbed him with my Dagger was pretty reminiscent of the last time we met. He turned to dust straight after and the wind took him away but thanks to him, I knew the right path to take and it led me to you, hyung,” Jisung chirped, seemingly back to his normal self after he had conquered the horrific memory that had popped back up to try and attack him. 

 

Woojin pulled him in for one last hug, pressing a small kiss to the side of the Thief’s head to let him know that he was proud of him for overcoming such a terrifying part of his mind like that. Jisung sighed heavily but seemed to let go of the weight he’d been carrying up until now along with it. 

 

“You did so well, Jisungie. What do you say we go and find our friends now, huh?”

 

“Sure, hyung. What about you? What did you see?” Jisung inquired as they began to walk back down the path. 

 

“Ah, not much. A few people from when I was growing up talking about how sad it was that I was such a lonely orphan. Then I saw Seunghoon and Moonbyul but I was able to fight them. Nothing I couldn’t handle.” 

 

Woojin didn’t need to look at Jisung to know that he was gaining a worried look from the boy and his theory seemed to check out when he felt his hand being grasped with a tight hold by the younger. 

 

“But it still hurt, right?” 

 

The Bard hesitated just a moment before speaking again. He could lie but what kind of example would he be setting for the others if he did? “Yeah, Jisungie, it still hurt.” 

 

They felt like they had been walking for hours but knew that they had a bit of time left from the counter around their wrists.  It had just dropped below two hours now and Woojin just hoped that they were at least halfway through the maze at this stage. He also wondered if maybe the others had met up with one another. The Bard was more than thankful that he had found Jisung; he didn’t want the younger to be in a place like this by himself. He didn’t doubt the Thief could handle it but, more for himself than anyone else, he just wanted to make sure Jisung was safe. 

 

“Hyung, do you hear that?” 

 

“Hmm?” Woojin felt his hand being dragged back a bit as Jisung had stopped in place to see if he could pinpoint the noise that he had just heard. 

 

The wind rustled the leaves around them, disturbing them as they lay beneath their feet. The sky still remained dark overhead, very little light being offered to them from the hanging moon. Soft whispers floated past their ears and now Woojin noticed that there was indeed someone speaking closely to them. He instantly recognised Jeongin’s small voice, he sounded almost scared, confused. What made a slight fear rise up within him was the woman’s voice that was accompanying it. Jisung seemed to be of the same mindset as he looked to Woojin with wide eyes before letting go of the Bard’s hand and sprinting to where they thought the noise was coming from. 

 

Turning a corner, both boys caught Jeongin from the corner of their eye, the boy willingly being led down a path by a woman in a flowing dress. Woojin began to wonder if his memories looked normal to other people because, when he saw the face of the woman that Jeongin was holding on to, there was nothing ordinary about it. An ashen colour covering her skin, black eyes stared at the young boy she was luring towards a most certain death. Sharp canines fell down to her chin, framed by a rather wicked smile. It seemed that Jeongin couldn’t see her true form because the way he was looking at her held such adoration and love. It didn’t take Woojin all that long to figure out who it was that the strange demon in front of him had taken the form of. 

 

“Innie! Stop! Don’t go with her!” 

 

The Bard was glad that his words seemed to reach the boy as Jeongin began to turn around to try and find him but the moment Woojin began to step forward, he felt a grip fall around his ankle, looking down to see a thick, barbed vine encapsulating his leg and beginning to pull backwards. Letting out a yelp, he fell to the ground and was slowly being dragged back down the path. It was obviously a tactic of the maze to try and dissuade him from saving his friend but Woojin wasn’t going to let anything dubious happen to Jeongin, he wouldn’t allow it. 

 

He suddenly became still, the pressure on his leg easing as he looked down to see Jisung ripping up the plant with his Daggers before helping Woojin back up to his feet. 

 

“Innie, fight her! I know you can do this! You’re strong enough!”

 

It was then that the Bard knew that Jisung could see the deformed face of the woman too; it wasn’t just a trick of the light causing Woojin to see such a monster. With one shared look, both boys began to run towards their youngest, hoping that they weren’t too late to stop him from being harmed when they saw him stumble backwards a bit, obviously now seeing the true form of the demon trying to deceive him. 

 

“Ah, you couldn’t just do as you were told. You were so close to living your days out happily with me, Jeongin. Now, all I can do is make sure that you never live another happy day without me again.” 

 

Woojin’s mind went into overdrive, sprinting even faster at the woman’s words. He wouldn’t let Jeongin be hurt, he wouldn’t let him endure any more pain. Not if he could help it. Seeing the woman lunge towards the overwhelmed boy that was mere feet in front of him with sharp talons, the Bard dove and took Jeongin in his arms before he felt a painful swipe across his back, one that made the elder think that the demon had attempted to claw at Jeongin but had met with his form instead. He hissed at the sensation, a sound that didn’t go unnoticed by the young Necromancer that quickly seemed to regain all of his senses and grab onto his hyung before his knees met with the ground. 

 

“Hyung! Are you ok?!” As Jeongin placed his hands around Woojin’s shoulders to steady him, his question was answered when he felt a wetness on his fingers, lifting them up to see them coated in his friend’s blood. “W-Woojinnie hyung…”

  
Jisung took the initiative and jumped behind the woman, attempting to destroy her in the same way he had ended Gyujin earlier in the day. As he plunged his Dagger towards her, she spun and caught it between two of her fingers, grinning menacingly at the dumbstruck boy in front of her. It seemed that this memory held far more power than the one that he himself or Woojin had come up against. 

 

“He’s coming with me and you can’t do anything about it,” she screamed before she sent Jisung flying backwards where he harshly met with the ground. 

 

If there was one thing in the world that Jeongin would never be able to accept, it was his friends getting hurt. He had dealt with it when Siwan had almost killed Seungmin back in the house they had been held prisoner in, when Hyunjin had nearly killed Seunghyun in the ring and receded into himself when he was taking the blame for what had happened, when Jisung had been recovering from the horrific pain when Minho had left their group. He had tried to help everyone afterwards but this time, he could stop it before anything happened that he couldn’t take back. 

 

Feeling a familiar emotion take hold of him, his eyes glazed over as a darkness consumed him. He whispered out his summoning chant to call one of his spirits, noticing the Preta materialise in front of Jisung to stop the advances of the demon that had apparently been planning to end him right there and then. He held Woojin’s body close to his as he heard the elder trying to reassure him that he was alright even though his breaths seemed jagged from the pain emitting from his back. Jeongin simply nodded, never letting go even as he controlled the spirit in front of him. The spirit took the form of an emaciated man, ribs poking out from his chest as his concave cheeks made his face terrifyingly ghastly. His distended stomach hung low and pure white eyes stared at the woman with unmatched hunger. The Preta simply bowed his head towards Jeongin who returned the greeting before giving his command. 

 

“Devour her.” 

 

The spirit took no time in leaping from Jisung’s side to snap at the woman who was now on the ground, writhing and screaming as chunks were being taken out of her skin. Jisung scuffled backwards, trying to get as far away from the scene as he could. He jumped up and ran to Jeongin’s side, keeping his eyes on Woojin and the young boy instead of the demon whose screams could still be heard. After grimacing at the scratch marks on the Bard’s back, Jisung turned his attention to Jeongin and when he saw the look of complete focus filled with such hatred, he knew that the boy was slipping into a bad place, one he needed to get him out of quickly. It became silent and Jisung knew that the demon who had tried to take the youngest away was no longer a problem. He grabbed onto the boy’s face and gently guided his gaze towards him. 

 

“Jeongin, come back to me. That’s it, baby. Hey, look at those pretty eyes of yours. Keep looking at hyung, alright? There we go, Innie, you’re doing so well. You did it, you can let go now.” 

 

Seeing Jeongin’s eyes focus in on him, Jisung let out a sigh of relief at seeing their youngest return from whatever shadowy place his mind had taken him after seeing his friends being hurt. He gently pushed his fingers through the boy’s hair, making the maknae lean into the touch before a worried pout fell upon his face. He quickly sent his spirit back to the other side, noticing nothing but dust in place of where his mother once stood. 

 

“Oh, god, Woojin hyung, are you ok? Please, talk to me. Why did you do that? I should have been the one to get hurt, not you! This is my fault, I’m sorry, I’m so so-” 

 

“Innie, shush, don’t apologise when you didn’t do anything wrong,” Woojin laughed while placing a finger over the Necromancer’s lips, an action which caused him to groan from the movement. 

 

“Shit, hyung, that looks like a nasty scratch. Four nasty scratches to be exact,” Jisung whined, gently moving the Bard’s ripped shirt to wince at the wound. “We’ll get Changbin hyung to clear that up when we meet back with him.” 

 

As he listened to Jisung’s reassurances, Woojin could see Jeongin blaming himself for the injury, something he wished he wouldn’t do since Woojin would always take the bullet when it came to any of his boys. 

 

“Innie, was that your mom? That’s who that monster took the form of, right?” 

 

Jeongin, eyes still cast downwards, nodded his head with a little sniffle before he felt himself being pulled forwards by both Jisung and Woojin, the boys holding him close to them as he felt soothing fingers gliding through his hair. 

 

“You did well to break free of her control then, Innie. That mustn't have been easy. We all know how much you miss your parents, how your time with them was cut short so abruptly,” Jisung cooed, pressing his cheek to Jeongin’s head to try and comfort the younger boy. 

 

“It was your voices that made me come back to reality. It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t easy, I’m sure you guys came up against your memories too but you didn’t let anyone else get hurt.” 

 

Sitting back up, Woojin sharply but softly grabbed Jeongin’s chin to make the boy look at him head on. “You listen to me right now. You didn’t hurt me, that monster did. It was my choice to take the hit because I will not let any of you get hurt if I have the power to stop it. You boys mean the world to me and if I get a few scratches on my back so that you don’t have to, then so be it.” 

 

Jeongin’s eyes immediately welled up with painful tears, ones that were quickly wiped away by Jisung when they eventually spilled over. 

 

“Innie, you’re not allowed to blame yourself, I won’t allow it. We all know that this is a place that will knock you around and because of that, we’re all bound to get a few bumps and bruises. I’m still alive, see? It’s only a little scratch. You see, Jeongin? Innie, why aren’t you answering? Are you ignoring your hyung? The disrespect! Innie? Innie? Innie?” 

 

Trying his best to get away from his hyung’s fingers that were prodding at his face, Jeongin couldn’t help but giggle when Woojin’s swiftly moved down to his neck and began to tickle there instead. Seeing the smile spread across both his hyungs’ faces, Jeongin let some of the guilt drop away before getting up and nodding his head at Woojin’s words. 

 

Attempting to stand was a job in itself for Woojin because of the injury on his back that stung like hell but he felt two hands underneath his arms to help him upwards before they were slung over Jeongin and Jisung’s shoulders as they stood on either side of him, supporting his weight as the trekked forwards. 

 

“We have just over an hour left. Let’s finish this thing already and meet back up with the others,” Jisung sang, seemingly confident that they would reach their end goal before the time ran out. The feeling seemed to spread to the others as they walked forwards, leaving behind the memory of what just happened because that’s all it was to them now: a memory. 

 

* * *

 

With barely ten minutes left to spare, Jisung saw the opening into a vast courtyard with a screen situated in the middle. His heart literally screamed with happiness when he saw the other six members of his team already standing there, anxiously pacing around the grounds, not noticing the three walking up to them until Felix called out their names. 

 

Head shooting up, Minho leapt towards them with inhuman speed, grinning at all three of them before pulling Jisung away and joining their lips together in a heated kiss that showed the Thief just how terrified he had been about him not making it to the end of the trial in time. 

 

Jeongin wrinkled his nose at the outward display of affection which Woojin just snickered at. The Bard noticed Chan standing ahead with his hands on his hips, leaving out a distressed sigh as he tried to put his best perturbed expression on to scold them. 

 

“Could you guys have cut it any closer? There’s only about eight minutes left! Talk about giving us all a heart attack! I think Changbin was ready to run back into the maze to try and find all of you! Where did you- Woojin? Love, are you alright?” 

 

Chan was at his side in an instant when he noticed that the eldest wasn’t walking properly and having to rely on Jeongin for some support. 

 

“It’s nothing, Channie, I’m all good,” Woojin smiled, trying to keep his injuries out of sight, knowing that Chan would go off if he saw them in this moment. Unfortunately, he couldn’t turn quickly enough when the Knight decided to have a look for himself. 

 

“Christ...Woojin, what the  _ fuck  _ happened?!” 

 

“Channie, stop yelling. We have to gather and complete the trial. I’m fine.” 

 

“Bullshit! Who did this to you?! There’s so much blood...”

 

Woojin winced at the sharp tone of Chan’s words but he knew who it was hurting more than him. He glanced at Jeongin to his right and could see the worry in the boy’s eyes that Chan would blame him for allowing something like this to happen to the boy he loved. 

 

“Chan, I’m going to need you to stop yelling right now. There’s no need for it so, if you would lower your voice, I would appreciate it,” Woojin warned and from the look in Chan’s eyes, he knew not to press the subject any further at the moment. 

 

“I’m sorry, Channie hyung. I did this to him. It’s my fault Woojinnie hyung got hurt.”

 

Chan cocked an eyebrow, carefully weighing up Jeongin’s small form as he kept holding onto Woojin, fist clenching on the Bard’s sleeve as if asking for protection. “Innie, what do you mean?” 

 

“He was protecting me from my memories when they nearly attacked me. I was too out of it to stop them in time and he got hurt in the process. Sorry, I’m really sorry.” 

 

Realisation dawned on Chan as a sympathetic frown washed over his face when he turned to look at Woojin who was trying to give him a small smile. 

 

“Ah, that makes a lot of sense then. Should have known that Woojinnie did this to himself. Always needs to be the hero. I thought that was a characteristic of my class, not yours,” Chan playfully scolded and Woojin could see the change in tone affect Jeongin instantly. He no longer looked terrified of the possibility of taking the blame from Chan, rather, he looked relieved that nobody seemed to attribute fault to him. 

 

“Guys, five minutes left. You wanna complete this thing already?” Hyunjin asked, waving his hand to gather them together. 

 

Chan immediately fell into place where Jisung had been before to support Woojin’s other side. As they passed the Medic, the Knight attempted to ask him for his help in aiding Woojin when they got up to the resting spot but nothing was even said before Changbin gave a small “yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it.” 

 

As they all gathered around the center of the courtyard, the timers around their wrists beeped and stopped on 3:29. They had made it and with just enough time too. On cue, the ghostly guide that they had seen almost four hours ago popped up and clasped her hands. 

 

“ Congratulations on completing the second trial of the Rautaja Fortress. You may proceed to the resting area before the next level. I shall see you there.” And with that, she vanished once again. A door to their left popped open, letting them know that they were finally free to leave the maze. 

 

Carrying Woojin with Jeongin, Chan thanked the deities that they had already managed to conquer two of the seven trials they were to be put up against. He trudged up the stairs, laughing a little when Jeongin seemed to be struggling a little with the vast steps and extra weight that Woojin was putting on him. 

 

“So, Woojinnie, you managed to save one of our boys again. Such a hero you are. I’m really proud of you.” 

 

The Bard simply chuckled in response, pecking Chan lightly on the cheek but decided not to move any further when the muscles in his back constricted and scolded him for moving so much. 

 

“Well, what is it that you saw in that god damn maze?” 

 

“Later, Channie. Let’s get all of these kids to bed first. From the looks of it, we’re gonna be hearing lots of different stories about this particular trial later.” 

 

Chan was inclined to agree. He had heard about one or two of the accounts of the others but not all. It would take quite some time to cover but before that, he felt like he wanted or more likely,  _ needed  _ to pass out for a few hours, so that’s exactly what he did.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for the hits, kudos and all of the wonderful comments.  
> If anyone wishes to contact me about anything, my tumblr is @ stray-anpanman!


End file.
